Like Ghosts in Snow
by triedunture
Summary: After years of peace, Sephiroth returns to Radiant Garden. Cloud, Leon and the others are ready for another epic battle, but this isn't the Sephiroth they remember. CloudxLeon, SoraxRiku, SephxCloudxLeon COMPLETE!
1. Returning

Author's note: Hey, this was supposed to be a silly little humor ficlet, and instead it morphed into what looks to be a multi-chapter monster. Oh, well. Pairings are yaoi LeonxCloud, maybe some light SephirothxCloudxLeonx...something...in some capacity in future chapters. Not too sure yet! So, hope you enjoy.

Suggested listening: My Chemical Romance. "Thank You for the Venom."

Suggested beverage: Mt. Dew Code Red

* * *

The sun was just beginning to rise over the mountains as Lonna, the woodcutter's wife, made her way to the pond. Living out in the forest provided her family with a living, but she sometimes missed the conveniences of living within the city of Radiant Garden. In that bustling town, the women could get their water from a well instead of the middle of the wilderness. Not that Lonna would complain, but… 

Was that flash of silver in the water a fish?

No, no fish could be that large. Lonna grasped the branch of a nearby tree to keep her steady as she leaned even more over the edge of the pond, seeking that reflection in the water again. Instead, a huge splash surprised her. The only thing the kept her from plummeting into the cold water were the arms of the stranger who had emerged from the pond.

"Are you…" She was going to ask the unclothed man if he was okay, but one glance at his bare body, and Lonna could see he was _fine_. Just fine.

"Oh, my," she whispered, looking up at his solemn face dripping with pond water.

For the first time in years, Sephiroth opened his eyes.

* * *

"Come on, come on," Cloud muttered, fighting with an uncooperative wrench and a rusted spindle nut in the cramped space under his motorbike. His forearms were covered in grime and oil, proof of the losing battle he was waging on his weekend hobby: trying to get the piles of bolts moving again. The wrench slipped on the slick, immobile metal once more. "Piece of—" 

"Cloud," Leon's voice drifted to his ears. Cloud squinted down his own torso to see the Gunblade wielder's boots on the cement floor of gummi hanger. "You need to come with me," Leon said, crouching down to look at Cloud under the bike.

"Damn it, Lee," Cloud sighed, using the nickname he was only allowed to mention in private. "This is the first day I've had off in weeks. I want one simple thing: to get this stupid drive chain tightened." He picked up the wrench again, attacking the machine with renewed vigor. "Whatever it is, get Cid to give you a hand."

"Sure." Leon stood, leaving only his feet visible again. "I'll just ask _him_ to deal with the man in the market who looks and sounds amazingly like Sephiroth."

A sharp CLANG noise came from under the bike as Cloud tried to sit bolt upright, his forehead colliding with the underside. "Shit!" he cursed, rubbing his head as he shimmied gingerly out from under the machinery. "Sephiroth? He's back again?"

"Now that I've got your attention," Leon tossed a cloth to the blonde to wipe his dirty face and arms, "let's go."

The two hurried back to the house to grab their swords before heading to the market square. Cloud had the foresight to grab his shoulder armor from a peg in the hallway, strapping it on as he walked. Couldn't be too careful when it came to Sephiroth.

"What's the situation?" the blonde asked, his face a mask of seriousness.

"Not sure. Just got word from Yuffie that he's been sighted in town. The townspeople know to stay indoors." Leon quickened his pace, tugging his gloves on and taking his Gunblade from its holster.

"Has he confronted anyone? Made any threats? Burned anything down?" Cloud asked, Buster sword in hand as well.

Leon shook his head. "Not yet, or else the security system would have gone off. We're going to go in hard and fast, agreed?"

"Yeah." Cloud grabbed Leon's hand, encased in smooth black leather, and brought it to his lips for a brief kiss. "Be careful, love."

"You too," Leon murmured, drawing their joined hands to his own mouth for a kiss on Cloud's knuckles. "Ready?"

A deep voice sounded from around the corner. "Is someone there?"

"That's him," Cloud whispered. "Let's do it."

With surprising speed, the two swordsmen burst around the bend, weapons aimed at the lone figure in the street. The tall man gave a startled cry, stumbling back and falling to the ground, his arms raised to protect his face.

"Stop!" the man screamed. "I'm unarmed!"

Cloud and Leon paused, lowering their swords momentarily. This man sure looked like the great Sephiroth: long flowing silver hair pulled back into a ponytail, glowing green eyes, tall build. But he was acting like he was dressed: Like a simple peasant.

"What the hell…" Leon trailed off, taking in the man's strange appearance. Gone were the trademark black coat and long sword. This Sephiroth wore a simple brown jerkin that seemed a bit short in the sleeves and equally ill-fitting black trousers. His feet were bare and caked with mud. He certainly didn't look as threatening as he used to be.

"Okay, what's going on here?" Cloud finally barked, raising his sword under Sephiroth's chin.

"I wish I knew," Sephiroth spoke steadily, his hands in the air. "I was just trying to find an inn, but no one would give me directions. What kind of city is this, anyway? Is nobody allowed in the streets?"

"Cut the crap," Leon growled, his weapon trained on the man as well. "What are you trying to pull?"

"Get those things out of my face. I've done nothing wrong!" the man on the ground snarled.

Cloud laughed bitterly. "I'll believe that when I see it, Sephiroth."

Green eyes widened. "Wait, is that my name? You know my name?"

Leon and Cloud glanced at each other with raised eyebrows.

"You see, I woke up this morning in a pool of water in the forest. I have no memory of who I am or how I got there. A woman gave me these clothes and told me to head towards Hollow Bastion. She said there was a wizard here that might help me," Sephiroth said, looking between his two attackers with pleading eyes. "Merlin. She said to find Merlin."

"You don't remember who you are?" Leon asked skeptically.

"I swear I'm telling you the truth," he said, his long silver hair blowing in the wind. "Please, let me go."

"What should we do?" Leon asked Cloud softly. "He looks pretty…scared."

The blonde was frozen in hesitation, refusing to lower his weapon. Finally, he said, "Let's put him in the cooler until we can sort this mess out."

* * *

The cooler was the only detention center in Hollow Bastion. It was an underground compound of five or six jail cells that had been used by Ansem to hold helpless specimens for his experiments. The restoration committee had cleaned the place up and now it was used to hold arrested citizens awaiting sentences from the magistrate. It was rarely used; only the odd pickpocket or angry drunk was ever locked up in the cooler. And like most days, it was currently empty. Except for the recent addition of General Sephiroth. 

Cloud latched the manacles around Sephiroth's slim wrists and checked the anchors on the wall. He slid the barred door shut and locked it. His blue eyes slid over the cell. Everything seemed to be in order.

"Is this really necessary?" Sephiroth asked from inside his cell, chains clinking around his hands as he gestured at the damp walls surrounding him. "I'm just trying to find Merlin. Unless that's a crime in your city, would you please let me go?"

"You'll stay here until we find some answers," Leon said from where he leaned against the dank stone wall. "Just relax."

Cloud nodded to his partner and they left the cooler via the spiral staircase leading to the surface. They spoke in hushed tones for fear the echoes might reach their captive's ears.

"So what do you think?" Leon asked in a low voice. "Is this just an act?"

Cloud shook his head. "I'm not sure what to think. The Sephiroth that I know would never allow himself to be held in a prison. He'd break the chains with his bare hands. But he went with us without a fight. If it is all just an act, I don't see what he stands to gain from it."

Leon shrugged, holding the door at the top of the stairs open for Cloud. "Maybe he's still trying to mess with your head. We're going to have to be careful."

Cloud nodded. "Let's get Merlin, see what he thinks."

* * *

They reached the wizard's house and quickly assembled the whole team. Leon explained the afternoon's events, wrapping up with what they did with the seemingly-confused Sephiroth. 

"So Merlin should probably do a spell or something to see if he really has lost his memories," Leon concluded.

"Wow, can you imagine?" Yuffie gasped. "I know Sephiroth always seems to reappear after Cloud beats him, but this is getting ridiculous."

"I don't know," Aerith said doubtfully. "If I lost my memories, I'd be terrified."

"Bastard's probably just working a new angle," Cid grumbled, chewing on a toothpick noisily. The mechanic had been trying to quit smoking for weeks, and was using what Aerith called 'oral fixation distractions.'

"Yeah, I only trust that guy as far as I can throw him," Tifa agreed, pounding her gloved fist into her other hand.

"Children, children," Merlin cried above the din. "We can easily get to the root of the matter. Now where did I put my Liar's Paper?" The old man dug around in his Bag of Holding and came up with a handful of paper strips. "Aha! To the cooler! If this is revealed to be a trick, everyone should be on hand to, er, handle the situation."

"You mean the situation where the most powerful warrior in the universe blows us to smithereens?" Yuffie asked, jumping up from where she sat on the table and slinking towards the exit. "Uh, I think I have something in the oven."

"Come on, fearless ninja," Tifa said, grabbing the girl by the scruff of the neck. "If I have to go, so do you."

"Don't worry. Sephiroth prefers one-on-one battles. If he does plan to attack, he'll bide his time," Cloud muttered darkly, leading the way.

* * *

"Write your name down for me," Merlin told the fearsome warrior some minutes later, tapping the Liar's Paper placed in front of him. "The paper turns red if you write a lie, blue if it's true. Clever, eh? I invented it myself, when I wasn't busy being a squirrel." 

Sephiroth blinked, his manacled hand closing around the offered pen by instinct. His eyes caught the shadowed figures of the entire restoration committee standing in the gloom behind Merlin. "Who _are_ you people?"

"We're not to be trifled with, young man," Merlin spoke up again, stroking his long white beard. "Now write down your name."

"But I'm not exactly sure…that is, _he _seems to know it, but I can't remember for sure what I'm called," Sephiroth said, pointing to Cloud with the pen.

Merlin sighed heavily, his eyes rolling under his bushy brows. "Then write down the fact that you don't know it, obviously."

"Oh." Sephiroth dutifully wrote down _I can't remember my name_. Instantly, the paper turned a bright blue.

"Fantastic! Write more just to be sure," Merlin prompted, nudging the chained man with his curly shoe. "Anything that you know to be true."

_I can't remember anything. _

_I'm very tall. _

_The sun is bright. _

All the scraps of paper turned blue. Sephiroth put the pen down and shrugged.

"I can't think of anything else." He handed the stack of paper and the pen back to Merlin, who absentmindedly passed it back to Yuffie. "I don't have any memories of who I was."

Meanwhile, Yuffie scribbled something on the Liar's Paper, turning it blue. She giggled and passed it to Tifa, who read the message: _Leon's totally thinking about Cloud's hot body right now. _Tifa tried to hold back her laugh, snorting quietly. Aerith glared at them and put a finger against her lips to gesture for quiet.

"Very interesting," Merlin muttered, pushing his tiny glasses back up his nose. He reached out to hold Sephiroth's eyelids wide open as if to check the pupils. Then he examined the man's open mouth like one would a horse. "One last test to confirm my hypothesis. Hold out your hand, please."

Sephiroth did as asked and Merlin produced a small dagger from his cloak.

"Don't—" But Sephiroth couldn't flinch back fast enough for the spry elder. Merlin grabbed his chained wrist and made a shallow slash along his outstretched palm. "Ouch!"

"The small injury is bleeding steadily," Merlin said, holding the hand up for the small crowd behind him to see. "And it shows no sign of healing over immediately."

"What's that mean?" Tifa asked, frowning.

"It means Sephiroth's healing factor isn't working anymore," Cloud answered, crossing his arms across his chest. "With all the Mako in his system, a scratch like that normally wouldn't even get the chance to bleed before healing over."

"So why isn't it working?" Aerith mused, clasping her hands before her chest.

"Because this man you see before you," Merlin indicated Sephiroth with a sweeping gesture, "is exactly that. A normal human with no magical properties whatsoever."

"What?" Cid spit his toothpick halfway across the cell. "How the hell did that happen?"

"A human?" Sephiroth furrowed his brow, squeezing his cut hand closed. "What was I before?"

Merlin laughed, bending with some effort to unlock his chains. "That, my boy, is the million munny question. Looks like we have some catching up to do."

Leon leaned closer to Cloud to whisper in his ear, "I don't like this." Cloud merely nodded.

* * *

"He is not staying here," Cloud said, hitting the table in front of him with his fist. They were back at the renovated brownstone that served as their living quarters, and they were not happy with the situation. 

"Then where are we supposed to put him?" Aerith huffed, gesturing violently with her hand. "We can't keep him in the cooler for days on end. It's a disgusting mess down there with leaks and rats and who knows what else."

Leon leaned back in his chair, propping his booted feet up on the wooden slab, hands folded behind his head. "Maybe keeping him close is the best idea. Just in case he gets his memories back and…"

"Explodes into an uncontrollable rage?" Yuffie squeaked. "No way, no thank you. I'd prefer the psycho-killer to sleep a _little_ farther than five feet from my bedroom. How about it?" Yuffie raised her hand in the air, glancing around the room as if seeking more votes in her favor.

"No sir. I don't like it," Cid mumbled, chomping down on his toothpick so hard that it splintered between his teeth. "Don't like it one bit."

"Same here." Tifa crossed her powerful arms over her chest and fumed in her seat. "The guy is trouble."

"May I make a suggestion?" Sephiroth spoke up from the other end of the table. He was wrapping his bleeding hand in a clean white bandage that Aerith had given him, and had remained completely silent until this point.

"Sociopaths don't get a vote in this group," Cid grumbled. "You don't like it, you can waltz into some other town."

Sephiroth sighed heavily, raking his uninjured hand through his disheveled silver hair. "Okay. I get it. I was an enemy of yours in the past. But I don't remember what it was we fought over, and I can't imagine what I could have done to warrant such abuse."

Aerith spoke in a voice cold like new snow. "You killed me."

"Did I?" Sephiroth looked her up and down in an exaggerated, sarcastic manner. "You seem fine to me."

She shrugged, a feral grin on her lips. "I'm a fast healer," she said, offering no further explanation.

"Doesn't change the fact that you're an unarmed-girl-killing asshole," Cid growled, jabbing his finger across the table at Sephiroth.

"Not to mention a hometown-burning pyromaniac," Tifa added.

"And a mass murderer working for the Darkness," Yuffie joined in.

"As well as maestro of the mindfuck," Cid said, pointing to a glowering Cloud to illustrate.

Sephiroth turned to Leon, his aristocratic face drawn. "And what horrible thing did I do to you?"

Leon lifted his shoulders somewhat, his easy posture belied by the fact that his hand never left the hilt of his weapon. "We've never been properly introduced."

Sephiroth scoffed slightly, his green eyes narrowing. "You say I'm a killer, and since I have no recollection of my life up to this point, your word is all I have to go on. How can I be sure this ragtag group isn't working with this Darkness you speak of, trying to trick me?"

"Oh, so now you don't trust _us_? This is fucking brilliant," Cid grunted, pushing his chair back from the table in disgust. "I'm going to the hanger. You guys just make sure the lunatic has clean sheets."

"Cid," Tifa cautioned, but the pilot had already slammed the front door behind him.

"That's it!" Aerith stood suddenly. "This is getting us nowhere. Here's what's going to happen." She pointed a finger at Cloud, who still sat with his arms crossed over his chest, watching the proceedings with a detached eye. "Sephiroth will be staying in your room."

"Absolutely not," Cloud barked, finally sitting up straight in his chair. "I won't be—"

"Not finished," Aerith cut him off, putting her hand up to silence the blonde. "You can share Leon's room. It's not like half your stuff isn't in there already."

There was a tense silence as Cloud shut his mouth, his lips forming into a line of discontent. But he finally grunted and dropped his gaze to the table. Leon shot a look at Aerith, who ignored him completely.

Aerith continued, "And you, Sephiroth, will receive a history lesson from the little man who lives in our computer system. Maybe after Tron shows you the chronicles from the past few years, you'll understand why we're the ones who should be afraid to trust _you_."

Sephiroth, who had spoken calmly and coolly all evening, refused to meet the girl's blazing eyes. "Fine," he mumbled.

"Then it's settled. Agreed?" Aerith swept her hard gaze over others who sat motionless at the long meeting table. Sensing no opposition, she broke into a gentle smile, as if a storm cloud had passed over her features, driven away by a breeze. She turned and walked towards the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "Who's hungry for a little dinner?"

And that was the rocky beginning to Sephiroth's stay in Radiant Garden.


	2. Clothing

Author's note: I'm so excited to see from reviews that there are a few non-yaoi-fan people enjoying this! Thank you for giving it a shot even though it may not seem like your sort of thing. I hope you all continue to enjoy it. Thank you again for all the positive comments.

Suggested listening: Various Artists "Lonely Hearts" or My Chemical Romance "Ghost of You" (If anyone ever took these suggestions seriously, it would fill my heart with joy. But it's optional, of course.)

Suggested beverage: ice water

* * *

"Do you plan to store all your swords in here?" Leon asked, eyeing the growing pile of Cloud's collection in the corner of the room. Leon's room wasn't large by any means, with all his Gunblades taking up so much space in his weapons' cabinet, he didn't see how Cloud's were going to fit.

"I'm not leaving them in a room with Sephiroth," Cloud answered plainly, dumping another armload of clothing, leather guards and knives onto Leon's floor.

"Maybe he doesn't even remember how to fight," Leon suggested, reclining back onto his bed with his hands propped under his head. "Probably wouldn't even know how to swing the Buster if you handed it to him."

"Well, I don't want to find out." Cloud opened the weapons' cabinet, grunting in disappointment at the lack of space. "There was more room in your dresser than in here."

"Well, I own more blades than pants," Leon laughed. Cloud tried to give him a smirk, but it was more of a brief softening of his grim expression. Leon frowned at the blonde's obvious discomfort.

"Hey," he said quietly, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed to sit up. "I know this situation sucks. Sephiroth wasn't exactly on my list of suitable housemates either. But is sharing a room with me really going to be that bad?"

Cloud sighed, closing the wooden door of the cabinet carefully so nothing would fall out. "No, of course not. I'm sorry; I didn't even ask if Aerith's little solution was okay with you."

"It's not how I imagined you moving in with me, but," Leon smiled, "I can imagine worse things. Come here." He held out a gloved hand, beckoning the blonde over to him.

Cloud finally did smirk then, rolling his eyes and pacing over to where the brunette sat. He let Leon wrap his arms loosely around his waist, pulling him into a sort of hug. Cloud's arms looped around his neck, his fingers playing with wild strands of dark hair. He dipped his head for a moment to inhale Leon's scent, calming himself with the familiar sensations.

"Thanks, Lee," Cloud murmured.

"My pleasure," Leon answered.

A small knock sounded on the doorframe. The two men looked up to find Sephiroth filling the open doorway, not quite willing to cross the threshold.

"Excuse me. It's just…you left this on the windowsill," the tall man said, holding out a worn paperback book in his hand.

Cloud reached out to take it, glancing at Sephiroth, but the man seemed unable to make eye contact. "Thanks," he said slowly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude," Sephiroth finally said, turning on his heel. "Good night."

Leon and Cloud exchanged glances as they listened to Sephiroth's footsteps fading away in the hallway.

* * *

The room given to Sephiroth was quite small and plain. With all of Cloud's belongings removed, the space was completely empty: no pictures on the walls, no curtains on the windows, nothing in the small chest of drawers. And Sephiroth owned nothing to fill the empty places.

He sat gingerly on the spindly old bed, testing the mattress to find it was fairly hard. No matter; he was probably used to that. Not that he could remember being used to anything at all, but if he had to guess, Sephiroth supposed he could handle more uncomfortable situations than a stiff mattress.

Since he owned no sleeping clothes, Sephiroth removed the too-tight clothing that the woodcutter's wife had given to him and folded the articles in a neat pile on the floor. He wanted to send the pants and shirt back to her, and it wouldn't do to send back a pile of rags, so he was trying to take good care of them. Sephiroth examined his bare feet, still filthy from walking through the woods and dusty streets. Aerith had left a full pitcher of water on the wash basin that, along with a clean towel, Sephiroth used that to attend to his feet.

The sounds Sephiroth made moving about the little room were loud compared to the pressing silence inhabiting the house. Everyone else must have gone to bed, Sephiroth thought, listening for any whispers or creaks in other parts of the brownstone. Any sound would have been welcome in this strange place, but everything remained quiet. Sephiroth sighed, slipping between the thin, cool sheets of the rickety bed.

His last thought before drifting off was that Cid had been wrong: they hadn't given him clean sheets. The bedclothes smelled like the pure sweat of young men.

* * *

The next morning, Aerith woke up early as usual. She was often the first one awake because she liked to move about the quiet house, reading or preparing breakfast before the others rose. So she was surprised to find Sephiroth in the downstairs common room at the computer terminal Cid had installed in the corner.

"Play it again, please," Sephiroth whispered to the screen in front of him.

"Of course, User Sephiroth," Tron's automated voice answered. A quick flash of pictures played out across the screen once more. Sephiroth leaned in closely, completely engrossed.

"Figured out how to use the computer?" Aerith asked from the doorway, startling the silver-haired man.

"Oh, Miss Aerith. Good morning," Sephiroth said, turning to her with a small smile. "Yes, Tron has been most helpful. He agreed to let me see the chronicles as you had suggested."

"I have limited his access to certain data," Tron spoke up. "I hope this is suitable, User Aerith?"

"Sure," she said, stifling a small yawn behind her hand. "I'm afraid I'm usually alone at this time of day. Have you been up long, Sephiroth?"

"I couldn't sleep much," he said, glancing down to type rapid commands onto the keypad. "I…had a few disturbing dreams."

"Oh?" Aerith moved to stand behind Sephiroth's chair, blinking at the images on the computer screen. Sephiroth's own face stared back at them, a picture taken years ago when he was still a General.

"You have quite a bit of information on me," Sephiroth said slowly. "The dreams I had last night seemed so vivid, I…I couldn't help but think they were real memories. I dreamt of terrible, terrible things. I had to know if it was the truth."

"And?" Aerith pushed.

"Everything Tron has shown me substantiates your claims." Sephiroth looked up at her, his green eyes cloudy now, no longer bright with Mako. "I killed. I killed _you_. Didn't I?"

"Yes. You did." Aerith gently pushed a strand of silver hair from his face. "But I got over it, right?"

Sephiroth shut his eyes tight, leaning his elbows on the control panel. "I don't understand. You shouldn't be alive. _I_ shouldn't be alive. Things are happening that shouldn't be possible."

Aerith shrugged, her slim hands clasped behind her. "That is the world we live in." She stood there with him a long time, letting Tron show them pictures from the past.

* * *

"Okay troops, listen up," Leon announced at the breakfast table, consulting a list in front of him. "Yuffie and Tifa, you two can finish up at the north wall today. Cid, I want you to keep working on the design for the water filter. We're going to need that, the sooner, the better. Cloud, you're with me. We'll—"

Yuffie giggled into her bowl of oatmeal, interrupting Leon's instructions.

"Something funny?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," she snickered. "It's just, we all _know_ Cloud's with you. No need to brag about it during Assigning."

Cloud rolled his eyes. Tifa high-fived Yuffie. Aerith tried to look stern while serving pancakes. Cid laughed behind his calloused hand.

Leon ignored them all.

"As I was saying," he continued, "we'll get a head start on the south wall. Everybody clear?"

The gang got over Yuffie's joke and nodded, making to leave the table for the day's work. Leon grabbed his jacket from the pegs beside the front door, fishing around in its pockets for his gloves.

"Excuse me, Leon?" Sephiroth said, still sitting at the empty table.

Leon looked up at the man. He could feel Cloud pause beside him, but he gestured for the blonde to go. Cloud tilted his head in understanding and continued out the door.

"Is there anything I can do?" Sephiroth offered, stacking the breakfast plates neatly on the table.

"What do you mean?" Leon asked, shrugging his jacket over his shoulders.

"It appears you're in charge of this town's upkeep. Is there anything I can do to help?" Sephiroth asked.

Leon blinked. "I'm not sure...I can think of anything."

"Ah." Sephiroth rose from the table, collecting the dirty dishes. His posture was stiff and his movements, jerky. "I find that hard to believe."

"Look, I'm sorry," Leon said, combing a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'd love to have another hand on the team. But I can't make the others work alongside someone they don't trust. No offense."

Sephiroth sighed, his shoulder slumping. "None taken. I understand."

Aerith stepped out of the kitchen, taking the dishes from Sephiroth's hands. She eyed Leon quizzically, before smiling up at Sephiroth.

"Don't worry," she assured him. "There's plenty of work around the house you can help me with. There's cleaning and cooking and gardening and…" She cast a look over the woodcutter's hand-me-downs that Sephiroth still wore, trying to keep her smile light. "And maybe a trip to the seamstress is in order."

* * *

Though it wasn't cold out, Aerith gave Sephiroth a hooded cloak to wear on the trip to the market.

"Just to hide the indecently tight clothes you're stuck wearing," she joked.

Sephiroth sighed heavily, putting the hood up to cover his long silver locks. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Aerith just didn't want the townspeople to see him.

"Miss Aerith, excuse me for pointing this out," Sephiroth commented as they wove through a maze of back alleys on the way to the market, "but eventually, at least the seamstress will have to see me. I doubt she won't recognize me, and I don't want to cause any trouble for you."

"Nonsense!" Aerith laughed. "Don't worry about a thing."

They walked quickly through the marketplace, passing humans, large white talking ducks, and a few tiny fairies buzzing lazily outside an ice cream parlor. After passing what looked to be a handful of decent tailors, Aerith hustled Sephiroth into a dimly lit shop. A small elderly woman sat behind the counter on a tall stool. She set down a cup of tea and called, "Hello, who's there?"

Sephiroth squinted in the gloom to see her milky white eyes. Aerith had brought him to a blind seamstress.

"Aerith…" he groaned.

"Shush. Say hello to Mrs. Wedge. She makes the best clothes in town," Aerith said, nudging him towards the counter.

"A new one, eh?" The old woman reached out her gnarled hand and pushed the hood of his cloak back, threading her fingers into his loose hair. "Hm, a tall boy, yes? Very nice." Her hands stroked along his long jaw, measuring it with her touches. "Don't be frightened," she said as Sephiroth flinched slightly. "This is just how I look at people. What's your name?"

Sephiroth glanced at Aerith, who bit her lip and furrowed her brow, gesturing for him to say something.

"Zack," Sephiroth spat out. "My name's Zack."

"Oh, well, any friend of Miss Aerith's is welcome here, Zack," Mrs. Wedge laughed, sliding down from her tall stool to stand before him. She was a tiny woman wrapped in a black shawl, her white hair pulled back into a neat bun. "So what can I do you for?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"He needs everything," Aerith broke in. "Pants, shirts, belts, boots, the whole kit and caboodle."

"Fantastic!" Mrs. Wedge clapped her hands. "Let me just get my measuring tape and I'll be right with you." She shuffled off towards a back room, leaving them alone for a moment.

"How does she measure and sew if she can't see?" Sephiroth whispered.

"You'll find out," Aerith answered in a hushed voice. After a moment, she added, "…Zack."

Sephiroth ducked his head. "It was the first name I could think of. He was in my dreams last night."

"So you knew him?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Everyone I dreamt was fuzzy and washed out, like ghosts in snow. Sometimes I walked through the dream without being able to control myself, like I was a doll on strings. Other times it was like watching a story play out from behind a plate glass window. Things on the other side were muffled and blurred." He shrugged. "But Zack…he was the only good thing I dreamt about. He was kind to me."

"Here we are," Mrs. Wedge said loudly, bustling into the room with her arms full of supplies. "Why don't you pick out some fabric for the boy, Aerith?"

"Any preferences?" she asked Sephiroth as she strayed over to the stacks of colorful silks and cottons lining one wall.

"Maybe black?" Sephiroth ventured, letting Mrs. Wedge wrap her measuring tape across his chest.

"Black? Oh! That Cloud boy is always coming in here asking for more black!" the seamstress exclaimed. "Black boots! Black shirts! Black pants! Black guards! Black, black, black. And that Leon is no better. Sometimes I think those boys are going to a funeral every day of their lives."

Aerith giggled. "Something else, then?"

"Grey?" Sephiroth tried.

Mrs. Wedge let out a disappointed wail. "_Grey_? Are you _trying_ to fade into the background? Quick, tell me what color is this hair?" she asked, grabbing a handful of Sephiroth's locks.

"It's silver, ma'am," he answered, allowing the woman to lead him around the shop like his hair was a leash.

"Silver! I imagine when you walk around with it down like this, it's like a beautiful cape. And you want to dress the rest of yourself in _grey_?" she scoffed, patting her hands along the stacks of fabric as if searching for one by texture alone.

"Or black," Sephiroth said, smirking.

"Not on my watch, you won't," Mrs. Wedge said, nodding to herself. "Sure, a few black pieces here and there, but you will have the most complete wardrobe in the entire Garden. Not like those palate-impaired boys I have to deal with. Now, Aerith, help me find some blue wool, red cotton, pear silk, brown leather…just pull down whatever looks good to you. But no grey!"

"Yes, Mrs. Wedge," Aerith said, saluting her giddily.

"Now where was I? Ah, measuring, yes," the seamstress muttered, whipping her measuring tape out once more. "Arms up, please."

Sephiroth allowed her to wrap the tape around his chest and neck, down his sides, his arms and waist. Every time Mrs. Wedge tightened the measuring tape around his body, she'd murmur something to herself. Sephiroth couldn't imagine what she could be muttering, since she couldn't see the numbers on the tape and hadn't asked for him to read them aloud.

Then a flash of movement caught the corner of his eye. He turned his head slightly to see pins and buttons flying through the air, diving amidst scissors and fabric that moved by some unseen hand on the worktable. Needles threaded themselves with snake-like thread, making quick work of seams along the cut fabric. Sephiroth looked over at where Aerith was perched on a bench, swinging her feet happily and watching the spectacle as if shirts always sewed themselves in Radiant Garden.

"Right, that's fine for a few shirts," Mrs. Wedge spoke up, interrupting Sephiroth's wonderment. "Now for pants." And the old woman fell to her knees fluidly to take measurements of his legs.

On the other side of the room, Aerith pointed to the old woman and mouthed "mage" to Sephiroth. The long-haired man shook his head in disbelief. It seemed that everyone in this town had magical powers. Everyone except him, now.

They left Mrs. Wedge's with a sizable order of pants, shirts, sweaters, coats, belts and a pair of boots (black, to Mrs. Wedge's dismay). The new boots were on Sephiroth's feet, and his second-hand clothing had been replaced by tan pants that had more pockets than he knew what to do with and a simple dark blue T-shirt.

"You look nice," Aerith commented, pulling the cloak hood up for him as they left the shop, since Sephiroth's hands were busy holding packages.

"I can't possibly afford all this," Sephiroth said, looking at the boxes wrapped in brown paper that he held. "I only have a few coins that the woodcutter's wife gave me."

"Don't worry. I have a budget for just such an occasion," Aerith said, finger raised triumphantly in the air. "Let's call it the 'Amnesiac Wardrobe Fund.'"

"You don't have to be so nice to me," Sephiroth mumbled. "I get the feeling I was never very nice to you."

"I wouldn't be a very good example for you if I treated you poorly, right?" Aerith grinned. "Give the others some time, and they'll come around too."

Sephiroth thought of the cold blue eyes that tracked his every move around the house, from the keystrokes at the computer terminal to the salt shaker on the breakfast table.

"Even Cloud?" he asked, adjusting his grip on the pile of boxes in his arms.

"Yeah, even him," Aerith answered, her smile bright. "Come on, I'll buy us some ice cream."

And that was how Sephiroth made his first friend in years.


	3. Drinking

Author's Note: Sadly, I might not be able to update with my usual regularity in the coming days. But reviews make me work harder when I have the time, so feed me Seymour! To Lady Shinigami: Ya know, I agonized over that Liar's Paper joke, but in the end I figured that either interpretation is kind of funny. I'd like to think that magic paper always tells the real truth, but that's just me. Anyway! Enjoy this little diversion.

Suggested listening: Motion City Soundtrack. "Let's Get Fucked up and Die."

Suggested beverage: Call me crazy, but I suggest cracking open a beer, root or otherwise.

* * *

"A gift? For me?" Sephiroth looked up from the book he was reading to find Aerith standing in front of him. The girl had a big grin on her face and her hands hidden behind her back impishly.

"I thought it would be appropriate to give you something, like a welcome present." Aerith shrugged, biting her lower lip, but her smile only widened.

"Believe me, it was all her idea," Cid groused from the other end of the common room, where he was gnawing on the tip of his pen and scrutinizing a sheaf of papers before him.

Nearly a week had gone by since Sephiroth's arrival in Radiant Garden and, to be honest, he was bored out of his mind. Leon wouldn't let him help with the town's restoration no matter how hard he argued for a chance to prove himself useful. To ward off boredom, Sephiroth had taken to reading every book in the house, some of them twice. He also whiled away the hours in front of the computer, asking Tron questions about the strange world he was living in.

Today the crew was stuck indoors due to heavy rain. But the others were usually out of the house all day long, and Sephiroth's only human companion for the past few days had been Aerith. The girl had gone out of her way to be kind to him, first with the new clothes, then teaching him how to tend vegetables in her little garden, and now a gift?

"I'm not sure what to say. Thank you, Aerith," Sephiroth said, placing his book on the coffee table and pushing up the sleeves of his green V-neck sweater.

"Ready for it?" Aerith asked, bouncing slightly on her toes before finally revealing what she held in her hands. "Ta da!"

A tiny kitten with fluffy white fur blinked up at Sephiroth with large blue eyes. It let out a high-pitched mewl before squirming in the girl's grip.

"Here, hold it," Aerith said, dropping the small, warm burden into Sephiroth's hands. "The butcher's cat had kittens, but the mother cat died, and he said it was okay to take one. I thought since it's so stifling sitting in the house alone all day, you might like a pet to keep you company."

"A pet?" Sephiroth looked down at the creature between his palms. The kitten circled the small area a few times before plunking down in his hands and yawning. "I've never had a pet," he said, trying to keep his hands as steady as possible.

"Don't worry. I'll show you how to feed it and take care of it," Aerith offered. "Do you like it?"

Before Sephiroth even had a chance to answer, a squeal from the hallway interrupted him. "Is that a kitty?" Yuffie squeaked with joy. "Tifa, come see the kitty!"

Soon the two girls were cooing over the tiny animal, laughing with delight when it accomplished the slightest task, like licking its paw or arching its back.

"It's adorable, Sephiroth," Tifa fawned, scratching the kitten behind a translucent ear. "What are you going to name it?"

"You should call it Cloud 'cause he's all white and fluffy," Yuffie giggled.

Sephiroth smiled nervously. "I was thinking the same thing, but Cloud may not like that," he said, pleased that the girls laughed with him.

"I may not like what?" Cloud asked from the doorway, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Sephiroth's heart sank. Everything had been going so well.

"Sephiroth has a cat. Look how cute it is!" Tifa said, moving aside so Cloud could see. The blonde craned his head from where he stood, gazing at the small animal. The kitten was busy gently biting Sephiroth's thumb, and the silver-haired man wished the pet could work the same mesmerizing effect on Cloud as it had on the girls. But, alas, no such luck.

"Just make sure to clean up after it," Cloud grunted, turning on his heel to exit the common room.

Aerith glanced over at Sephiroth, who had visibly wilted under Cloud's disapproving air. "Don't pay him any attention. Cloud just doesn't like animals," she assured him.

"Yeah. Big stupid head of spikes wouldn't know cute if it bit him on the ass," Yuffie huffed, petting the kitten once more.

"Unless it was Leon," Tifa joked, snorting. "And he probably has."

Sephiroth shook his head, a smile once more on his lips. "You ladies never let those two have a moment's peace."

"Can't help it. It's just too easy," Yuffie said. "Besides, everyone needs a hobby."

"Maybe you can take up the noble pastime of _shutting the hell up_," Cid yelled from where he sat hunched over his work. "I'll never get this done with all this commotion."

There was a chorus of 'sorry' from the little group, still bent over the now-sleeping kitten.

"So since naming it Cloud is out of the question," Tifa whispered discreetly, "any other ideas?"

"I'm not sure," Sephiroth said, watching the tiny kitten clawing its way up the front of his sweater. "I just can't get over how little he is."

"He's pocket-sized," Yuffie said in hushed excitement.

"Yes," Sephiroth said, scratching its fuzzy head. "Pocket. I'll call him Pocket."

* * *

Sephiroth and Pocket were inseparable. Everywhere the silver-haired man went, the white puff of fur followed, riding along in his pocket (just like his namesake), or perched on his shoulder, or frolicking behind on gangly legs. Though he maintained a show of aloofness towards the kitten, Sephiroth was actually quite smitten with it. He even fashioned small food and water dishes out of leftover wood and sealant for Pocket. Aerith caught him kneeling on the kitchen floor, placating the excited cat with fresh milk and small bits of tuna fish in his new bowls.

"He can't reach over the rim of the regular dishes," he explained in response to her raised eyebrow.

"I see," she giggled, watching the animal gorge itself on the table scraps.

"Well, if I let him starve to death, I'd never hear the end of it," Sephiroth said, rising from the tile floor. Before he reached full height, Pocket launched himself at a wayward lock of long silver hair, chewing on it with sharp kittenish teeth. "Let go of that," Sephiroth scolded, jerking his head to free his hair. "I fed you enough already."

Aerith laughed behind her hand, watching the kitten scamper off to the common room, bored once his hair-toy was taken away.

"You two make a funny pair," she said, crossing the kitchen to stir a pot simmering on the stovetop.

"Pocket keeps me busy." Sephiroth smiled, leaning against the counter to watch Aerith seasoning her concoction. It smelled like beef stew. "Thank you again for giving him to me."

"You're welco—"

"God damn son of a bitch cat!" Cid howled from the common room. "I'll make you into socks!"

"Cid?" Aerith called, rushing towards the sound of his voice, followed closely by Sephiroth. "What's wrong?"

Cid stood in the center of the common room, holding Pocket by the scruff of the neck. Bits of paper and fragrant tobacco fluttered all around the pilot's feet. Cid was chewing on a toothpick so hard, he spat splinters as he spoke.

"That damn cat ripped my last pack of cigarettes to shreds, that's what's fucking wrong!" He motioned to the mess on the carpet. "Aren't you supposed to be watching this little monster, Sephiroth?"

"I'm sorry, I just looked away for a moment," the taller man said, taking the kitten from Cid's harsh grip. "I'll clean up the mess."

Cid still couldn't take his eyes from the carcasses of cigarettes on the ground. "Shit…fucking…"

"You were quitting anyway, Cid," Aerith reminded him, patting him gently on the shoulder.

"Yeah, but," the pilot dragged a gloved hand through his short blonde hair, "I didn't think my last pack would be gone so soon." He sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "I can't fucking think straight without a smoke. I've been staring at the same goddamn blueprints for hours and I can't make any headway."

"Would you like some help?" Sephiroth asked, trying to hide his eagerness. He slid the fuzzy kitten into his shirt pocket, where it mewled pitifully.

"From you?" Cid snorted. "Kid, if you know the first thing about power generators and water filtration, I'd welcome ya with open arms. But you don't, so I won't bother." He stamped his foot, looking down at the floor again. "I needed a smoke, too."

"Tron's been filling me in on the workings of this world," Sephiroth said, striding over to the blueprints spread over the long table. "I find the mechanisms of the city fascinating, and I've learned quite a bit. May I take a look?"

Cid shrugged, glancing at Aerith with a raised eyebrow. "Knock yourself out."

The girl blew out a sigh and left for the kitchen once again.

Sephiroth sat at the table, flipping through the heavy pages. Pocket crawled out of his shirt and contented himself to sit at Sephiroth's elbow, looking down at the blueprints as if he, too, could read.

"I see," Sephiroth mumbled. "The filtration system is flawless. What kind of engineering did you study?"

"Uh, aeronautical," Cid mumbled. At Sephiroth's surprised look, Cid spat, "Well, it's not like folks around here are the most mechanically inclined, you know! I'm putting together fucking instructional pamphlets to teach them how to pick up a goddamn hammer. I'm the best chance they got."

"Yes, I can see how similar this system is to the smaller ones used on ships," Sephiroth said. "But how are you going to generate enough power to run it on this scale?"

"Yeah, well, that's the rub," Cid grunted. "I don't want to use wood. All the forests would be cut down in five years. Thought about running it on ether, but the costs…it's not worth it. No one in town could afford drinking water at that rate."

"I don't suppose you could rig it to run on happy faces and rainbows?" Sephiroth grinned wryly.

Cid grinned back. "That only works for gummi ships. Besides, ain't enough happy faces in this joint to power a light bulb."

The silver-haired man frowned for a moment. "What if you used the water itself?" Sephiroth asked, grabbing a pencil to illustrate his idea on a blank sheet of paper. "You could build a gravity-fed system on something like a water wheel. Could that generate enough power?"

"Humph. You'd need hundreds of thousands of gallons running through that thing," Cid mused.

Sephiroth shrugged. "If the river doesn't produce that kind of capacity, you could put some old water materia in a user matrix and…"

"And have it on a timer," Cid finished, taking the sketch to study more closely. "And you could power it on one or two ethers for a whole fucking year!" The older pilot looked up from the paper with a look of awe on his face. "Shit."

"Yes." Sephiroth smiled. "You'd have to have a reservoir big enough to hold the excess, but…"

"It would work!" Cid slammed his hand down on the table, startling Pocket. The kitten jumped up onto Sephiroth's shoulder, regarding the other man with slotted eyes. "It could really work. Ha ha!"

He grabbed Sephiroth by the arm, urging him to stand up. The taller man obeyed, confused, as Cid jumped up and down in complete ecstasy, hollering profanities at the top of his lungs, still holding onto Sephiroth's upper arms. Sephiroth had no choice but to follow suit. Before he knew it, they were both jumping for joy. Pocket leapt to the safety of the floor, watching the spectacle as he washed his fur.

"This is great!" Cid yelled when he calmed down somewhat. "Radiant Garden will be the first town in the world with potable water. Imagine it! Clean water right out of a tap." He grinned devilishly, poking a finger at the other man's chest. "Let's celebrate, Sephiroth. You and me."

Sephiroth glanced nervously back at the kitchen, but Aerith was nowhere to be seen. "I don't know…"

"Come on! We'll go down to the bar. I'm buying," Cid said, pushing Sephiroth towards the entryway. "Aerith! Don't hold dinner for us, sweetheart!" he called as he opened the front door.

Sephiroth barely had time to grab the hooded cloak from its peg and wrap it around his shoulders before Cid corralled him into the street, the door slamming behind them.

Pocket sat bewildered in the middle of the floor, still surrounded by crushed cigarettes.

"Meow?" the cat said to no one in particular.

* * *

"Come on, big guy, you gotta give me a little help here," Cid panted, trying to support the wobbly Sephiroth as they slowly made their way down the dark street back to the house.

"I don't…feel so good," Sephiroth mumbled, stumbling against a cobblestone and nearly diving headfirst into the street. Cid just barely managed to keep them upright. He slung Sephiroth's left arm over his shoulder, bolstering the taller man.

"We're almost there," Cid promised. "Just a few more steps, then we're home."

"Home? I…" Sephiroth swung his bleary gaze to the pilot beside him. "I don't have a home…I'm homeless. No home."

"Fucking hell," Cid muttered. "Figures you'd be a sad drunk. How the hell did you get this wasted?" He propped Sephiroth up against the brownstone's wall, keeping one hand on his shoulder to prevent him from tipping over. "Okay. We're here. Now remember to keep quiet, Seph. We don't want to wake up the others." Cid dug around in his pants pocket for the door key, which he jammed into the lock.

"Wake up," Sephiroth slurred. "If they wake up, they'll hate me. Hate me even more."

"Shut up!" Cid hissed. "We're going in now, and I'm putting you to bed, got it?"

Sephiroth nodded with some effort. "I'll be quiet," he whispered.

Cid pushed the front door open, pulling Sephiroth along behind him. As soon as they closed the door behind them, the lamp in the corner flipped on to reveal Cloud, Leon and Aerith sitting on the couch. They wore scowls on their faces, and their arms were crossed over their chests.

"Oh, shit," Cid cursed. "The parents are still up."

"Don't have parents…" Sephiroth slurred, lowering his black hood. "Parent-less. And homeless. A poor orphan!" And then he slid to the ground despite Cid's attempts to prevent it.

"Where the hell have you been?" Cloud rumbled. "And what's wrong with him?" He pointed at the man on the floor.

"We just went to have a few drinks at Caleb's bar," Cid said defensively. "I don't know what's gotten into him. He only had a few beers!"

"How much is a few?" Leon asked.

"Three or four," Cid said, scratching his head. "Maybe five. Six at the most."

Aerith frown deepened. "Cid…" she admonished. She glared at him crossly as she went to Sephiroth's side, removed his heavy cloak and went to hang it up.

The pilot threw his hands in the air. "He's not exactly a small guy! I didn't figure he'd get so shitfaced."

"You idiot," Cloud sighed, leaving the couch to kneel by Sephiroth. "He's never had a drink in his life, as far as I know. And with all the Mako leeched from his body, he's probably reacting exponentially."

"How the hell was I supposed to know that?" Cid groaned.

Sephiroth rubbed his cheek along the carpet. "Did I wake anybody?" he asked in a stage whisper, his eyes mere slits.

"Sephiroth, are you okay?" Aerith asked, standing over his prone body.

He raised his eyes to her, looking a bit green around the gills. "I really, really, really don't feel good," he told her.

"Bathroom!" Leon ordered, grasping the man by his right arm. "Come on, Cloud. Help me."

Cloud obediently took the other arm. They half-carried, half-dragged Sephiroth to the bathroom, and not a moment too soon. Sephiroth ended up heaving into the toilet the minute he was deposited in front of it.

"Get his hair," Leon told Cloud, failing to hold back the silver mass by himself. Cloud and Leon held the strands out of the way as Sephiroth continued to retch. When he was finished, the man looked up at them with watery eyes.

"What _is_ this?" he moaned in pain.

"You're throwing up," Leon said.

"It happens when you get sick," Cloud explained. "Or drink too much, like an idiot."

"That was terrible. The worst feeling ever," Sephiroth said, blinking the tears out of his eyes.

"It's…probably not over," Leon said carefully, still holding onto Sephiroth's hair and scrutinizing his face.

"What? I…" Sephiroth's eyes widened as another wave of nausea overcame him, and he turned back to the toilet to vomit again.

"_That's_ attractive," Cloud deadpanned, screwing up his face at the horrible sound.

When it was finally over, Leon leaned over to look at Sephiroth's face, drained of color. "Do you feel any better?"

"It's in my _nose_," Sephiroth lamented, wiping at his face.

Apparently, this was a good sign, because Leon handed Sephiroth a small cupful of mouthwash and a wet facecloth.

"You're going to want to rinse your mouth out," he explained. "And wipe yourself off."

Sephiroth followed his directions as Cloud flushed the toilet with a kind of finality. "I'm never, ever doing that again," the blonde man said.

"I'll never drink anymore, I promise," Sephiroth said, flopping onto the tile floor at the base of the toilet. "I'm just going to sleep forever…"

"Not here, you're not," Leon chuckled, grabbing hold of his arms. "Come on. We'll get you to bed. Cloud, he's heavy; get his legs."

Sephiroth felt himself being lifted by the two men and carried down the hallway to his room. He was placed on the bed with a soft bounce, and Leon's deft fingers began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Get his boots off," he murmured to Cloud. Sephiroth shifted, looking at the blonde bent over his feet, working the laces free.

"This is so embarrassing," Sephiroth groaned, putting a hand over his eyes. "I'm so sorry, I…"

"Don't sweat it. It happens to everyone." Leon smirked down at him, peeling the shirt out from under him.

"'S never happened to _me_," Sephiroth huffed and wriggled his toes after his boots were tugged off.

"Well, now it has," Cloud grunted, dropping the black boots to the floor with a solid _thunk_.

Leon folded the red shirt into a neat square, fingering the soft fabric. "This is kind of nice," he said, showing the shirt to Cloud. The blonde tilted his head and hummed noncommittally.

"Wait…Pocket. Where's Pocket?" Sephiroth asked, looking around the room wildly. "He always sleeps in here. He's so small. What if he fell asleep in the hallway and someone steps on him and _squishes_ him?"

"No one's going to squish him," Leon assured him, placing the shirt on the floor by his boots. "Calm down."

Sephiroth fell back on his pillow with a low moan. "I might have," he said mournfully. "The old me. The me I dream about…I might have done it on purpose." Silence fell in the little room.

"I'll go find Pocket. Don't worry; I'll be right back," Leon said softly, turning to the door.

"Okay," Sephiroth called after him. His dull eyes turned to Cloud, who stood beside his bed, dragging a hand through his unruly hair. Sephiroth realized the swordsman was dressed for bed in black drawstring pants and a white tank top. "I'm sorry I made you stay up. I'm sorry for throwing up, too," he said.

Cloud blew a breath out of his nose. "It's okay," he said, smiling tightly. "Not how I would have chosen to spend my evening, but whatever."

"Thank you," Sephiroth said unsteadily, reaching out to take Cloud's lax hand in his. "I know you don't like me, but thanks for not letting me throw up on Aerith."

Cloud snorted. "Thank Leon. He has more experience with this kind of thing." Cloud's glowing blue eyes glanced down at Sephiroth's hand in his, but he only grimaced slightly and didn't pull away.

"Found him," Leon announced from the doorway, holding a squirming Pocket in his hands. Sephiroth smiled widely as Leon plunked the pet onto his chest. The long-haired man released Cloud's hand to pet Pocket behind the ears. "He got into the pantry and tore open a bag of rice. Aerith's not going to be happy in the morning," Leon told them.

"She'll forgive him," Cloud said dryly. "She can't resist that little beast."

"Yes, she has trouble hating…hating us little beasts," Sephiroth murmured, almost to himself. "True, Pocket?"

The cat purred happily and curled up under Sephiroth's chin like a tiny, fuzzy scarf. Cloud looked down at the two unlikely companions, his brows knitted together in thought. He was roused from his trance when Leon brushed a hand down his back.

"Let's go to bed," the brunette whispered, seeing Sephiroth's eyelids drooping.

"Sure," Cloud agreed, turning to the corner of the room and grabbing a small tin wastebasket. He set it by the bed and said, "If you feel sick again, this is right here, Sephiroth. Got it?"

"Yes, dad," Sephiroth mumbled softly, already halfway asleep.

Cloud gave Leon a baffled look. "Did he just…?"

"Make a joke?" Leon smirked. "Yes, and at your expense. Let's go." He took Cloud by the wrist and led him away from Sephiroth's bedside. "Goodnight," he whispered before turning the light off and shutting the door.

Sephiroth snored softly in response.


	4. Working

Author's note: Ha! Another chapter done. I want to thank everyone for their lovely reviews; they drive me to type faster.

Suggested listening: The New Amsterdams. "Never Treat Others."

Suggested beverage: Vitamin Water or Gatorade

* * *

The next morning was not fun for Sephiroth. He stayed in bed late, listening to the sounds of the others getting up and moving about the house. If it were up to him, he thought, he'd never face them ever again after the mortifying experience of last night. Sephiroth was particularly keen on avoiding Cloud and Leon; had they actually held his _hair_ back?

He groaned and burrowed even further under the sheets. Pocket mewled to protest being disrupted, but curled up and fell back to sleep at Sephiroth's side.

Sephiroth winced at hearing the slam of the front door. Did everything have to be so loud? And when had the sun ever been that bright? He groped for a pillow and, upon reaching down for one that had fallen to the floor, slammed it over his face.

There was a timid knock on his door.

"I wish to die in peace," he moaned through his pillow. "Go away."

The door creaked open to reveal an exasperated Aerith. "You're not dying," she sighed. "You're just hung-over. Here, I brought you some tea."

Sephiroth removed the pillow enough to squint at the teapot and mug she held in her hands.

"Are Cloud and Leon gone?" he asked. Pocket leapt from the bed to rub against Aerith's ankles. The girl placed the crockery on the low bedside table and reached down to pet the kitten.

"Everyone left to go to work," she assured him. "You don't have anything to worry about."

Sephiroth sighed in relief and sat up in bed. Aerith poured a cup and handed it to him.

"I know you're probably not hungry after last night," Aerith said carefully. Sephiroth groaned at the mention of food. "But you need to keep hydrated and try to get back some of the nutrients you lost."

"I suppose I could eat some toast, if it's plain," Sephiroth said. He looked up at Aerith expectantly, but she just stared right back.

"Well, your legs aren't broken, are they?" She whipped the sheets to the foot of the bed to uncover the man.

"Hey!" Sephiroth complained as a wave of cold air hit his shirtless body. "I'm sick. Shouldn't I stay in bed for a little while longer?"

"Like I said before, you're not at death's door. So get up, take a shower, get dressed, and make yourself some breakfast," the girl ordered. "Then you can water the garden for me."

"Outside?" Sephiroth said in alarm. "But it's so bright out there!"

"This should teach you never to drink with Cid again," Aerith said primly, clapping her hands. "Let's go, chop chop. Drink your tea and get moving."

"Yes, ma'am," Sephiroth grumbled, downing his tea in one big gulp before being shooed out of bed.

* * *

By noontime, Sephiroth collapsed on a patch of dirt in the relative shade of a small lemon tree, the now-empty watering can nestled on the ground beside him. He wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand and surveyed the backyard garden. Aerith had quite a sizable collection of vegetables, fruit trees and the odd bunch of tulips or lilies. It had taken him quite some time to tend to them all, but he was finally done.

Some of the harsh sunlight was blocked suddenly, and Sephiroth glanced up to see Leon standing over him. The crew's leader had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket; Sephiroth wondered how the man could wear so many clothes in such heat. The silver-haired man himself was dressed in a white T-shirt that was now smudged with dirt and some equally dingy cargo pants. His long hair was pulled back and secured with a strip of leather to keep it out of his way.

"Are you done with the garden?" Leon asked him.

"Yes," Sephiroth said slowly. "I should apologize to you, Leon. My behavior last night…it was appalling and I—"

"Cid tells me that you two arrived at a solution for the water filtration design," Leon interrupted. "Is that true?"

"Well," Sephiroth licked his dry lips, "Cid might need to adjust a few details, but it's nothing he can't handle."

"Good." Leon nodded and dropped a pair of well-worn gloves into Sephiroth's lap. "Put these on."

Sephiroth examined the soft black leather closely. They were similar to the ones Leon was wearing. "What for?"

"You're going to work with me today at the future filtration site. We're going to start clearing it to get ready for building," Leon said, gesturing to the gloves. "You'll need those. We're going to be lifting a lot of bramble and such."

"I'm going to work? With you and Cloud and Tifa and Yuffie?" Sephiroth asked. "I thought you said they didn't trust me."

"Don't get too excited," Leon warned. "The others are working on the south wall today. It'll be just you and me at the river." He smirked, shrugging. "Think of it as a trial period. If I think you do well, I might let you help with other projects."

Sephiroth furrowed his brow. "Shouldn't you be angry with me for making a fool of myself last night?"

Leon shook his head. "I won't mention it again if you don't," he said.

Sephiroth nodded to him gratefully. "I won't let you down, I promise."

* * *

It was well into late afternoon by the time Sephiroth wished he could quit. They had been working nonstop for hours clearing brush from the riverside. Sephiroth was tired and sweaty and had a headache that had been nagging him since morning. On top of that, he'd skipped lunch but couldn't risk asking Leon for a break from work. He wanted more than anything to prove that he could pull his own weight in the crew, and he thought this might be his only shot.

Sephiroth dragged yet another pile of spiked bramble from along the riverbed, panting with exertion. He glanced at Leon, who stood at the water's edge, cutting away at the thick brush. The other man looked completely composed; he wasn't even sweating, and unlike Sephiroth, he carried his heavy Gunblade at his side. Sephiroth could only grit his teeth and fling the heavy brush into the woods. He took a moment to catch his breath, watching the sun sinking lower in the sky.

"Getting tired?" Leon called to him.

"Absolutely not," Sephiroth lied, trying to suppress his labored breathing. "I just wish there were more hours in the day."

"You're not superhuman, Sephiroth. Not anymore," Leon reminded him, pulling loose branches free from some bushes. "You don't have to pretend you are."

"I'm not pretending," Sephiroth said sternly, making his way back to Leon to grab more debris. "I'm merely saying that—"

Leon looked up, his eyes widening suddenly at something behind Sephiroth. "Get down!" he ordered, unsheathing his weapon.

Sephiroth turned to find a huge wolf leaping straight at his throat, its teeth bared in a snarl. The silver-haired man instinctually raised an arm to block the creature, but it was too powerful. The weight of the beast made him fall to the ground as the wolf latched onto his forearm. Sephiroth cried out in pain, trying in vain to throw off his attacker.

"Get off of him!" Leon hollered at the wolf as he slammed his Gunblade into the beast's side. The animal released Sephiroth's bleeding arm, turning on Leon with a pained howl.

"That's right, come at me!" Leon beckoned the wolf. "Seph, get out of here."

"No, I'm not leaving," Sephiroth panted, clutching his wounded arm and struggling to sit up.

The brunette's eyes briefly flashed in warning at Sephiroth before returning to the circling wolf. "I'm ordering you to go. Now leave!" he yelled.

Sephiroth shook his head, rising unsteadily to his feet. "No," he repeated.

Leon opened his mouth to shout at Sephiroth again, but the wolf turned its attention to the silver-haired man. Wounded prey was easier to deal with than healthy, of course, and Leon was going to have a hard time distracting the hunter now. Cursing under his breath, the swordsman attacked the wolf, slashing at its flank. The wolf managed to bite Leon's right leg before Leon landed the killing blow.

"Son of a bitch," Leon hissed in pain, lifting his injured leg to look at the bite below his knee. It wasn't too deep, but it was bleeding steadily.

"Here, let me," Sephiroth said, taking off his white shirt and tearing strips from it. "It's the best I can do before we get home." He knelt in front of Leon and began to wrap the makeshift bandages over the wound and the shredded black pants.

"Just what the hell was that, Sephiroth?" Leon snapped, glaring down at him. "I gave you a direct order to leave and you disobeyed. Do you have any idea how much more difficult a battle gets when there's an unarmed civilian involved?"

"I'm sorry," Sephiroth said softly. "I just didn't want to leave you alone with the wolf."

"What were you going to do, throw a rock at it? That's a Bandersnatch," Leon said, pointing to the carcass in the grass. "They are ruthless fighters. I have enough trouble watching my own back out here; I don't need the added headache of watching yours!"

Sephiroth rose, speaking in a quiet, angry voice. "I didn't ask you to watch my back. If you trusted me enough to give me a weapon to defend myself—"

"A weapon?" Leon laughed bitterly. "That would go over _really_ well with the others. Would you even remember how to use one?"

Sephiroth looked up from wrapping his own injury, regarding Leon with cold eyes. "I'll never know unless you let me try."

Leon let out a sigh, pinching the scarred bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "We'll discuss this later. Let's just get home," he said, limping towards the town.

Sephiroth followed quietly.

* * *

"Maybe I shouldn't let you leave the house with any of the boys ever again," Aerith joked lamely, holding her hands around Sephiroth's bleeding arm and casting a healing spell. A glowing green light surrounded the arm, knitting the broken skin back together slowly.

"I didn't mean for Leon to get hurt," Sephiroth said, his eyes downcast. He tugged at the hem of the clean tank top he now wore. "Now he might never let me work with the crew."

"It's not your fault," Aerith told him firmly. "You couldn't predict a Bandersnatch would attack."

"I just feel so useless," Sephiroth sighed, running his hand along the grain of the long dinner table in thought. "If I can't remember who I am, what else can I do but try to work for a living here in Radiant Garden? But I'm not even good enough for that."

"That's not true, Sephiroth!" Aerith said, still holding his arm though the spell was complete. "You're good at lots of things. You—"

She paused as a loud crash came from the hallway. Both of them strained their ears to hear muffled yelling. Aerith furrowed her brow and got up from the table, walking quietly to the hall entrance and peeking around the corner. Sephiroth joined her, cradling his still-sore arm against his chest.

The door to Cloud and Leon's shared bedroom was open, and the blonde was standing in the doorway, shouting into the room. "I cannot believe this! After what happened today, did you really think I'd be okay with—?"

"Well, what do you suggest?" Leon's voice was quieter, but not by much. "If we don't let him carry a weapon, it'll be our fault if he gets hurt."

"Why do you care so much if he gets hurt?" Cloud yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "This world is full of monsters; people get hurt all the time. It's not our problem."

There was a slight pause before Leon answered in a deep growl. "I can't believe you just said that. I'm really surprised at you, Cloud."

"Oh no, don't try to lay a bunch of guilt on _me_," Cloud warned, holding up a gloved hand.

Leon's voice rose in anger. "I don't have to! You seem to have that pretty well covered."

"_I_ have it covered? Look in the mirror, Leonhart," Cloud snarled.

Aerith shoved Sephiroth back around the corner and then stormed down the hall towards the two men. "Hey, knock it off," she said. "You guys need to calm down before you start saying things you _really_ regret."

Sephiroth remained motionless, his back pressed against the wall, listening to the quieted exchange.

"Sorry," the two swordsmen muttered, more to Aerith than each other.

"Cloud, if you're that concerned about giving Sephiroth a weapon," Aerith said, "we can vote on it tonight when everyone gets home. Okay?"

"Sure," Cloud said grudgingly.

"And Leon, you're supposed to stay off that leg for at least another two days. Cloud, help him to the common room and park him in an armchair or something. And then shake hands or kiss and make up or whatever it is you two need to do to get over yourselves!"

Sephiroth heard the mumbled response and quickly moved away from the hallway so he wouldn't be caught eavesdropping. He went back to the table and pretended to study some illegible notes that Cid had written on the filtration mechanism. Moments later, Leon limped over to the couch using Cloud's arm for support. The blonde glared briefly at Sephiroth's presence, but didn't say anything to him.

Leon had changed into pale blue boxer shorts. The wound on his leg was healed but colored with a deep purple bruise. Cloud guided him to sit on the sofa and helped prop his leg up on a footstool.

"I'm sorry," the blonde whispered, almost too soft for Sephiroth to hear across the room. "I didn't mean what I said. I was just so mad…"

"It's okay. I'm sorry, too." Leon grasped Cloud's gloved hand and squeezed briefly. Cloud busied himself with arranging an afghan over Leon's lap.

Sephiroth knew he should probably leave, but the door opened just then and Yuffie, Tifa and Cid bounded inside, letting a blast of cool night air in with them. They began a loud chorus of alarm at Leon's injury, questions directed at Sephiroth about his arm, and a general ruckus that Sephiroth was glad for. Then the doorbell rang, and everyone froze.

"Are we expecting anybody?" Tifa asked, eyeing the door suspiciously.

"Not that I can think of," Yuffie said.

Sephiroth got up since he was the closest to the front door. "I'll get it," he offered.

As soon as the door opened, a dark shadow flew into the house, darting around the room in a reddish blur. Sephiroth cried out in surprise as the shadow flew at him, knocking him to the floor. He looked up to see a man with red eyes and a red swirling cape straddling his chest. In less than a second, two golden revolvers were pointed in his face.

"Who are you?" Sephiroth whispered.

"My name is Vincent Valentine," the man said, cocking both guns. "And I'm here to kill you."


	5. Cutting

Author's Note: Finally, the Song Containing the Titular Lyric is revealed. Plus, cameos. Yay! If you're not familiar with Vincent, don't worry; everything's pretty much explained. Final Fantasy nerds can revel in all sorts of geeky references along with me, but it's not required. Also, not to guilt you into reviewing, but I'm having kind of a crappy day and would love to get some feedback to cheer myself up. Even if you hate the ending of this chapter (tee hee!) I'd like to hear from you.

Suggested listening: My Chemical Romance. "Vampires Will Never Hurt You." (I crack myself up.)

Suggested beverage: red wine

* * *

"Vincent, leave him alone!" Yuffie was the first to react, rushing at the dark-haired man and thumping him on the shoulder. "He's one of the good guys!"

The man turned his bright red eyes to her, training one of his guns on her but keeping the other firmly in Sephiroth's face. "I see he's used some sort of mind control again," Vincent growled.

"She's telling the truth, Val," Cid said, stepping forward with his hands raised in a placating gesture. "You don't need to shoot anyone."

Vincent paused, regarding Cid thoughtfully, but not lowering his revolvers. "So you are under his spell too, Highwind?"

"Do I _look_ like I'm under fucking mind control?" Cid snapped. "Now put down the goddamn guns before someone gets hurt, you shitheaded vampire!"

There was a minute of silence before Vincent slid his twin peacemakers back under his cloak. "It is good to hear your melodic voice again, Captain," he said dryly.

"Yeah, ditto," Cid laughed, offering Vincent a hand up from where he sat on top of Sephiroth. Yuffie and Tifa helped the bewildered Sephiroth off the ground as well.

"What's going on, Vincent?" Cloud demanded, putting a throwing knife that he'd instinctively drawn back in his boot. He rose from his defensive crouch in front of the injured Leon.

"Are you just knocking on every door in Radiant Garden and scaring the crap out of people?" Tifa cried. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

The newcomer walked further into the common room, his metal boots clinking as he moved. "I apologize for the intrusion, but," he shot a look at Sephiroth suspiciously, "I heard rumors that the Great Sephiroth was back. However, I didn't realize he was…somehow incapacitated."

"Shoot first, ask questions later," Cid said with a gruff chuckle. "That's Turks for ya."

"Vincent, it's good to see you," Aerith said, walking up to the dark-haired man and giving him a small hug. "A lot has happened since you left. We have much to talk about."

Vincent allowed her embrace stoically. "News of the Keyblade Bearer's success has reached even the most remote regions of our world," he told her. "I am aware of the Heartless' defeat, which is why I was so concerned about Sephiroth's reappearance."

"Vincent is an old friend of ours," Tifa said to Sephiroth. "He's been traveling the world for a few years now, eliminating Heartless and aggressive monsters from the more distant villages."

"I'm…pleased to meet you?" Sephiroth said, still shaken from the attempt on his life.

Vincent raised an eyebrow, still gazing at Sephiroth. "So what changed? What made you leave the Dark path?"

"I…I don't know," Sephiroth said. "I don't remember."

"Sephiroth's lost his memory," Tifa explained. "He's been staying here with us, and doing pretty well at sticking to the Light."

"Where is Masamune?" Vincent asked, his eyes roaming over Sephiroth's form. Sephiroth furrowed his brow, and Vincent sighed. "Your sword. Where do you keep it?"

"I don't…" Sephiroth glanced at Cloud. "I don't have a sword."

The cloaked man turned sharply to Cloud and Leon. "You let this man remain unarmed? Surely even the obtuse peasants of this town will realize who he is eventually. What if someone comes seeking revenge against him?"

Leon looked over to Cloud smugly. "I don't know. Why _isn't_ he armed, Cloud?"

Cloud groaned, dragging a hand through his hair. "Please, let's not get into this again."

"Others may not be so inclined to hear an explanation as I was," Vincent continued, circling Sephiroth and sizing him up like a piece of faulty machinery. "And it seems his reflexes aren't what they used to be."

"I'm standing right here," Sephiroth said, glaring back at the caped man. "Could you please speak to me directly?"

Vincent leaned in close, his pale face mere inches from Sephiroth's. "Your eyes…" he whispered. "They have no Mako left in them."

"Hey, you're probably tired from your journey, Val," Cid interrupted, clapping his old friend on the back. "Why don't we go get you something to drink in the kitchen, and I'll fill ya in on all the crazy shit that's been happening 'round here."

Vincent tilted his head in agreement, but he paused in front of Cloud. "You need to make sure he can defend himself," he said to the blonde man. "If he's as vulnerable as I think he is, there's no telling what kind of Darkness might be after him."

Cloud scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're telling me to arm Sephiroth?"

"No," the vampire-like man said. "I'm telling you to _train_ him."

* * *

Cloud tugged his black gloves on, flexing his fingers in agitation. "I still don't see why you had to give him a _sword_," he grumbled to Leon. "Why not throwing knives or nunchaku?"

The brunette was propped up on a mound of pillows in bed reading a book. He slid his tiny reading glasses down his nose to look at Cloud.

"He might not remember how to swordfight mentally, but maybe his body does, like some kind of muscle memory," Leon answered. "There's a chance he'll pick it up right away. Then _you_ won't have to waste more time training him."

"It's like you hate me," Cloud sighed, clipping the huge Buster sword to the harness on his back.

"Love you," Leon said in a mocking voice, flipping a page in his book.

"I'm ready to go, Cloud, if you are," Sephiroth said, appearing in the doorway. His hair hung over his shoulder in a thick braid, probably Aerith's idea. He held a sheathed lightweight katana in his hands. "Thank you for the sword, Leon," he said to the man in the bed. "How's your leg?"

"It's fine. Wish Aerith would let me get up, but I guess a little vacation isn't so terrible," Leon said, eyeing the offending appendage.

"Let's go," Cloud said, checking his guards one last time. "We'll be back in a couple hours, Leon."

"Have fun," the brunette said, unable to hide the smirk on his lips.

* * *

Sephiroth and Cloud walked through the twisting streets of Radiant Garden without speaking. The taller man was wearing his hooded cloak to hide his trademark silver hair. He hadn't realized before Vincent's arrival that the disguise was actually meant to protect _him_ from the townspeople; he had just assumed Aerith didn't want him frightening anyone who might recognize him. Now he was more aware of the danger he faced if he was discovered.

"Hello there, Cloud my boy!" a loud squawk interrupted Sephiroth's thoughts. He looked down to see one of the large white ducks waving at his companion.

Cloud stopped in front of the strange animal. "Hey, Scrooge," he greeted with a minimal amount of brusqueness.

"I dun suppose you have a minute to try out this skateboard, lad?" The duck held up the contraption. "I'd like to sell them, but I dannae want to try riding it meself. I'm a mite too old for it, I'm afraid."

"Sorry." Cloud shook his head. "I'm a little busy today."

The duck's smile fell. "Oh, what about your friend? What's your name, sonny?"

Sephiroth felt his face flush at Cloud's sharp glare, but he spoke up anyway.

"I'm Zack," he said, holding his hand out to shake Scrooge's hand…wing…thing. "But I'm afraid I have an engagement as well."

"Pleased ta meet you, Zack," the duck said jovially. "Maybe some other time, then! Have a nice day, boys."

They walked away from the funny little duck and around the bend in the road.

"What the hell was that?" Cloud snarled when they were alone again. He grabbed the startled Sephiroth by the front of his shirt and pinned him against the alley wall. "Why did you use that name?"

"What, Zack?" Sephiroth blinked. "I used it before, when I met the seamstress in the market."

Cloud growled low in his throat and slammed him against the brick again. "Did Aerith say it was okay?"

"She didn't seem to mind," Sephiroth said, wincing at the pain in the back of his head where it hit the solid wall. "What's your problem?"

"You will never, _ever_ call yourself by that name again, do you understand me?" Cloud released Sephiroth with a final shake, his blue eyes glowing with an icy fire.

Sephiroth rubbed the back of his head. "Why?" he asked.

Cloud didn't answer; he only continued walking down the alleyway in silence.

"Wait!" Sephiroth called, catching up to Cloud and blocking his path. For the first time, Sephiroth realized that he was taller and broader than the blonde warrior. He could be imposing, too.

"You seem to know more about my past than anyone," Sephiroth accused. "And yet you keep it hidden away from me, like you're afraid to let me find out exactly who I was. I don't understand why you get so angry, and I want you to explain it to me. So tell me the truth."

Cloud leveled a cold stare at him. "You want the truth?" he said darkly. "The truth is that I have to use every ounce of my self-control to stop myself from killing you where you stand. Every day that I see your face in this town fills me with more and more disgust that _you_ of all people are allowed to walk around freely." He pushed Sephiroth out of his way and continued down the street. "So don't ask me about the past if you value your life."

Trying to remain undaunted, Sephiroth shouted after him, "At least tell me who Zack is!"

"You don't deserve to remember Zack," Cloud said without turning around. "If you want training, come with me. If not, go home."

Sephiroth looked at the katana in his hands and sighed, following Cloud to the sparring grounds.

* * *

Cloud woke up in the middle of the night, blinking tiredly at the alarm clock beside the bed. Sleep was hard for the blonde to come by this night, even though he was exhausted from training Sephiroth all day. Leon had been right; the man had taken to sword fighting quite naturally.

Cloud looked over at Leon sleeping soundly beside him. Moving slowly so he wouldn't wake the brunette, Cloud slid out of bed, pulled on a pair of drawstring pants and headed towards the kitchen for a glass of water.

He was padding down the wooden floor on his bare feet when he saw Pocket wandering the halls too. The little kitten, bright white in the darkness, looked up at him and meowed softly.

"What are you doing out here?" Cloud muttered sleepily. He glanced at Sephiroth's bedroom door and saw it was wide open. Cloud peeked in and saw the bed was rumpled, but empty. "Where's he gotten to?"

A noise from the common room caught his ear and Cloud headed in that direction. Sephiroth was kneeling on the floor wearing only a pair of pajama pants. He sat in a patch of moonlight that spilled from the window and Cloud saw the light glint off a knife in his hand. Sephiroth was grasping handfuls of his long silver hair and slashing at it with the sharp kitchen knife, chunks of the bright locks falling to the floor in waves.

"What's going on here?" Cloud hissed, springing forward to grab Sephiroth's wrist.

"I'm cutting it," he answered stonily, not meeting Cloud's eyes. "Let me go; I don't want it anymore."

"Are you crazy? It's three in the morning! Why aren't you in bed?" Cloud demanded angrily.

"I can't stop dreaming of Nibelhiem!" Sephiroth roared back, wrenching his wrist from Cloud's grip. "Every time I've closed my eyes tonight, I saw the same thing. The fire, and the door marked 'Jenova', and Zack, the only friend I ever had…and Tifa, that poor girl." He looked up, meeting Cloud's glowing blue eyes with his own green ones. "And I see you there, Cloud. You're just a boy, just a…"

Sephiroth choked off his words and dropped his head in his hands, the knife still clutched in his fingers. Cloud stared down at him, unmoving.

"I killed all those people," Sephiroth whispered into his hands, his shoulders shaking. "Why? Why would I do such a thing?"

Cloud shifted his weight on his bare feet and cleared his throat. "Before that day," he said softly, "you were a hero, Sephiroth. You were the savior of the world; everyone looked up to you, admired you. I…I wanted to be just like you."

Sephiroth lifted his head to gaze at Cloud. "You did?"

Cloud nodded tightly. "And then there was that mission in Nibelhiem where…you lost your mind. And there was no stopping you after you gave into the Darkness."

"But you stopped me. Eventually," Sephiroth whispered, his eyes falling once more to the knife in his hands. Slowly, he flipped the knife in his fingers and offered the handle to Cloud. He tilted his head back, exposing the pale column of his throat.

"What are you doing?" Cloud asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Tonight I dreamt the truth: that I was nothing more than the engineered product of a madman's experiment. I was never human, never meant to be anything but a tool for war. You were right; for me to remain here in Radiant Garden is a farce." He lifted the proffered knife higher. "So do it."

Cloud stood still for a moment, regarding the kneeling man silently. Then his fingers closed around the knife's handle, lifting it from Sephiroth's hand. The silver-haired man closed his eyes and clenched his fists in his lap. Cloud looked down at the knife he held and sighed, slamming it down on the nearby table.

"You'll cut a thumb off the way you've been slicing away with that thing," he grumbled, stalking to the kitchen and rummaging around in a drawer. Sephiroth watched as Cloud returned with a pair of scissors and grabbed a lock of his hair.

"What are you doing?" Sephiroth asked, remaining on his knees.

"Trying to even out the mess you've made. Sit still," Cloud ordered, running a hand through the long strands. "You really hacked the hell out of the back."

"You fool," Sephiroth hissed through clenched teeth. "I thought you would jump at the chance for vengeance. What if my powers return? What if I go insane again?"

Cloud cut a lock of hair near his left ear, studying the strands intently. "I'll wait for you to go insane before I kill you again," he muttered.

"You would risk the lives of all the people in this city?" Sephiroth protested, bowing his head. Cloud gently raised his chin before he resumed cutting.

"Leon keeps reminding me that you must be here for a reason. I don't pretend to know what that is, but things were never cut and dry with you, Sephiroth. I'll wait and see," Cloud said quietly. "Now be still; I'm almost done."

Sephiroth listened to the _snip snip _of Cloud's scissors for a moment. When the blonde paused in his work, Sephiroth turned his head to look over his shoulder at him.

"I don't expect you to ever forgive me," he said. "But I'm sorry for it, all the same."

"I owe you an apology as well," Cloud said haltingly. "I was hard on you today for something you didn't know anything about. Zack was my friend, too." Cloud continued cutting. Then, "You're lucky my eyes can see in the dark. You would've ended up with a haircut like Cid's otherwise." He moved in front of Sephiroth's face and carefully snipped at the ends of his long bangs. "Okay, take a look at yourself in the mirror."

As Sephiroth stood from the pile of cut hair, Cloud clicked on the lamp for him to see. Sephiroth stared in the mirror hanging on the wall: his hair was _much_ shorter now, only barely brushing his shoulders at the longest part. He ran a hand through the shortest bit at the back of his head; it left the nape of his neck exposed. Cloud had done a decent job of tapering the strands downward from there to meet his long bangs.

"What do you think?" Cloud asked from behind him.

"I feel lighter," Sephiroth said, staring at his reflection, the face of a different man. "Thank you."


	6. Watching

WARNING: _As advertised in its summary, this story has yaoi pairings. Because the boy love has been mild thus far, I thought it only fair to warn you that this chapter contains yaoi sex (not too explicit, but the rating has been upped to M just in case). Anyway, if you'd rather dig your eyeball out with a spork than read yaoi, you might want to consider skipping this chapter, or maybe just give it a light skim. On the other hand, and this is just a suggestion, if you've come this far and enjoyed the story, might as well stick it out, right? (I promise you won't catch The Gay. Just avoid using our combs and toothbrushes and you should be fine.) So enjoy! (If you want. Don't have to. Your decision.)_

Suggested listening: Muse. "Bliss" and "Plug in Baby"

Suggested beverage: Cherry Coke

* * *

"Holy crap!" Yuffie shouted, dropping her spoon on the breakfast table in surprise. "What happened to your hair?"

Sephiroth took his usual chair at the table, his shorn locks framing his blushing face. "I had it cut," he said softly, stating the obvious.

"But where did you get it done? One of the barbers in the market?" Aerith asked in alarm, reaching over to run her hands through the shoulder-length strands.

"No," Sephiroth said, allowing her matronly ministrations. "Cloud did it for me last night."

Everyone, even Leon, glanced at the silent blonde at the end of the breakfast table. He shrugged in response, still picking at his oatmeal.

"How could you?" Yuffie moaned at Sephiroth. "All that beautiful hair…I'd have killed for hair like that, and you just threw it all away."

"I think it looks very handsome," Tifa said, offering Sephiroth a small smile from across the table. "I know how hard it is to deal with long hair. Such a hassle."

"Yes, exactly," Sephiroth said hastily. "I thought it was best to get rid of it."

"Well, I like how it turned out," the girl said, her smile widening. Sephiroth's lips quirked up in return.

"Okay," Leon said, breaking into the discussion. He took a folded piece of paper from his pants pocket as the others finished up their breakfast. "Here's the plan for today. Yuffie, Tifa and Cloud, you can come with me and finish clearing that brush from the construction site. Cid, you can start surveying the site and we'll discuss materials. Also, do you know where Vincent is?"

"You know Val," Cid said, leaning back in his chair and chomping down on his toothpick. "He's probably scouting the forests for monsters or sitting on a rooftop, brooding."

Sephiroth suppressed a shudder and continued eating. He had a bad feeling about that strange man, even though it was Vincent who'd convinced the crew to let him have a sword.

"Well, if you see him, tell him his help would be appreciated if he has time," Leon told Cid, making a note on his paper. "That's it, everyone. Let's move out."

As the crew scraped their chairs back on the floor, Sephiroth spoke up. "No assigning for me today?"

Cid and Tifa exchanged glances and hurried out the door, dragging a nosy Yuffie along with them. Cloud stayed behind, too busy strapping on his leg guard to notice any tension.

"I want you to practice with your katana some more," Leon said, rising from his chair, still consulting his papers. "Do some of the drills Cloud showed you yesterday. When I'm convinced you can take down a small monster alone, you can come out to the field with us. Okay?"

Sephiroth nodded, getting up from his seat to help Aerith with the dishes. "That sounds fair. Thank you, Leon."

The doorbell chimed just then and Leon moved to answer it.

"No, wait," Cloud said, rushing forward. "Let me get it."

Leon frowned, but stepped back to allow the blonde to open the door. Sephiroth could see from his position in the kitchen doorway that there was a delivery boy outside holding a package wrapped in brown paper. Cloud spoke to the boy in a low whisper and handed him a few coins before taking the parcel. Leon was too absorbed in the notes he held in his hand to notice until Cloud shoved the box under his nose.

"This is for you," he said.

Sensing yet another moment between the couple that he shouldn't overhear, Sephiroth stepped over to the sink and busied himself with washing dishes. But curiosity overwhelmed him and he kept an eye on the two men in the entryway.

Leon furrowed his brow and took the package, shaking it lightly to listen for any tell-tale rattles. "What's the occasion?" he asked.

"Do I need a reason to give you gifts?" Cloud said smoothly. At Leon's raised eyebrow, he sighed and admitted, "It's to apologize for being a jerk the other day."

"You know I've already forgiven you," Leon said in a whisper, his head bowed to keep his words for Cloud's ears only. But Sephiroth had fairly good hearing anyway. "You didn't need to get me anything."

Cloud shrugged. "I wanted to. Just open it."

The brunette pursed his lips and tore open the brown paper. He let the packaging fall to the floor, holding up a stately long robe made of rust-colored silk. Sephiroth realized it was the same material as one of his shirts, the one that Leon had admired the night he'd stumbled home drunk.

"Oh, wow," Leon said in a hushed voice, fingering the fine cloth carefully. "You remembered?"

"Yeah. I had old lady Wedge whip it up. This way, you won't have to pull on dirty clothes from the floor to walk to the bathroom every morning," Cloud said, a tiny grin on his lips. "She was over the moon that it wasn't black."

Leon laughed and wrapped his arms around the blonde, the red robe still clasped in his hand. "It's great," he whispered into Cloud's ear.

"Sephiroth? Hello, you in there?" Aerith said, waving a hand in front of the man's green eyes. Sephiroth jerked his gaze away from the two men in the other room to look down at the petite girl. "Did you hear what I said?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

"No, sorry," Sephiroth mumbled, placing an extremely clean dish in the drainer. "What is it?

"I asked if you could help me in the garden for a bit," she said. Distantly, Sephiroth heard the front door close; Cloud and Leon must've left.

"Of course," he answered with a smile. "Sorry. I must've been daydreaming."

After Aerith helped him finish up the dishes, Sephiroth followed her out to the backyard, passing by the neatly folded robe on the common room sofa.

"I have a few potted plants I need to transfer to the soil," she explained, showing Sephiroth the clay pots stacked against the side of the house. "If we have time, I'd also like to build a trellis for a flowering vine I picked up recently. Shall we get started?"

They spent a few hours working in the garden, digging in the dirt and planting new growth. When that was finished, Aerith gathered the materials for her new trellis and Sephiroth began assembling it.

"Oh dear," Aerith said, looking down at the half-completed wooden frame and the dwindling pile of hardware. "We seem to be out of nails. Seph, could you run to the hangar? There should be plenty in Cid's toolbox."

"No problem," he said, brushing the dirt off his hands. "I'll get my cloak and—"

"I don't think you need it anymore," Aerith said, tugging on a newly-shortened lock of his hair. "People might have a harder time recognizing you now. Besides, it's midmorning; the streets should be fairly empty between here and the hangar."

"Good," Sephiroth said, gesturing to the blazing sun in the clear sky. "That thing's too warm to wear now anyway."

Aerith slapped his arm playfully, urging him to get going. The silver-haired man shot her a smile and left through the backyard fence's gate, heading towards the hangar.

* * *

When he arrived, he took stock of the huge warehouse. Hulking gummi ships were parked in the hangar, some in various states of disrepair. Oily engines and other parts were laid out on drop cloths in a patchwork fashion. It all spoke of Cid's usual organized chaos.

Sephiroth finally located the tool chest along the wall of the hangar and dug through the myriad drawers until he found a box of nails. He took a handful, not wanting to face the mechanic's wrath for stealing the entire supply. He was about to leave when an old motorcycle in the corner caught his eye.

Sephiroth wandered over to the machine, running his free hand along the polished metal. The motorcycle had a wide body, perfect for storing various weapons in the added compartments, and sat low on the ground. Someone was obviously restoring the thing with loving care.

"Beautiful," he whispered to himself. His grip slipped on the nails clutched in his hand, and one nail fell to the floor with a metallic _ping_ and rolled under the bike.

"Damn," Sephiroth muttered, storing the other nails in his pants pocket before bending down to retrieve the wayward hardware. No luck; it had rolled far under the bike. With a heavy sigh, Sephiroth laid flat on his stomach, straining to reach the nail. Finally he gave up trying to reach it from where he was and shimmied under the motorcycle, grabbing the nail with a small cry of triumph. That's when he heard the hangar door slam open.

Sephiroth turned his head to see Cloud and Leon's familiar boots entering the warehouse. Everything else was hidden from Sephiroth's view. He was about to call out to them, maybe ask who the gorgeous bike belonged to, when he saw Cloud's feet turn and heard a thud as Cloud pushed Leon against the hangar wall.

"You…" Cloud growled deep in his throat.

Sephiroth froze. Were the two men fighting again? Cloud was pretty quick-tempered, Sephiroth thought. He decided to stay hidden under the motorcycle in case Leon needed help against the hotheaded blonde.

Within seconds, however, it was obvious to Sephiroth that the sounds the two men were making were not ones of anger. He could hear the soft smack of lips on skin and muffled moans. The Buster sword clattered to the floor behind Cloud, and Leon's Gunblade was unbelted from his waist and cast aside as well.

"Couldn't wait to get back home?" Sephiroth heard Leon say with taunting humor.

"No way." Another kiss. "Not with Aerith and Sephiroth puttering around the house all day. Besides…" The sound of fabric being pulled and shifted. A low laugh. "We can be as loud as we want in here."

Oh shit, Sephiroth thought. How to get out of this potentially all-around embarrassing situation? The two pairs of boots were between him and the closed door, so he couldn't very well make a dash for it. Maybe he should just speak up and excuse himself gracefully?

The rough sound of a zipper being lowered echoed through the hangar.

No, Sephiroth sighed quietly. Probably shouldn't do _that_ now. He'd missed his available window of opportunity for awkwardness minutes ago; now he was in pervert territory.

"Here, let me…" Leon murmured. He lifted one foot at a time to unbuckle his boots, flinging them to the floor along with his socks. His bare feet stood inches away from Cloud's heavy boots, moving closer by the second. Sephiroth watched, wide-eyed, as Leon's black pants fell to his ankles, one foot stepping out of the garment and leaving the other tangled in the stiff fabric.

They weren't going to…? In the _hangar_?

Cid was going to kill them if they made a mess, Sephiroth thought.

There was a smacking sound that may have been a bite. "Beautiful," Cloud's voice rumbled, octaves lower than normal. From his hiding place, Sephiroth could only see up to the knees of the two men, but their combined noises were more than enough to set his imagination churning.

He lay there on his stomach in the cramped space under the motorcycle, trying not to move or breath. Cloud and Leon were always so cautious about showing their affection around the others; they never did anything more demonstrative than a brief touch or a shared look when they were surrounded by their friends, and yet here they were, mere feet away from Sephiroth, about to do…much more. There was a popping sound, like toothpaste being opened, and Sephiroth heard Leon gasp out Cloud's name. A small white tube fell to the cement floor and rolled towards Sephiroth's hiding place. He scanned the label and groaned internally. They could be here awhile.

Sephiroth glanced back as one of Leon's bare feet lifted from the ground and didn't return. He imagined that leg in the air, perhaps held by Cloud's gloved hand, perhaps wrapped around the blonde's waist. Sephiroth shut his eyes and tried thinking about sword drills, but the sounds of the two lovers only became more fevered.

There was a rhythmic thumping as Leon's back was driven against the wall of the hangar again and again. Cloud kept up a steady stream of breathy whispers, some Leon's name, some curses, mostly unintelligible. Leon became progressively more vocal, beginning with low moans and escalating to full-out shouts. The normally tight-lipped man cried out for a whole range of deities, some of which Sephiroth didn't even recognize.

"That's it, Lee," Cloud encouraged. "Come on, love."

Leather creaked. Breathing quickened. Sephiroth's eyes slid open once more. Leon's bare toes were splayed out on the warehouse floor, seeking firmer balance. Sephiroth felt his face flush and tried to rationalize it to himself. It was natural to feel aroused at sounds of pleasure, just like it was normal to feel hungry at the smell of fresh-baked bread. He couldn't help it; he pressed a hand to his mouth to stop a whimper from escaping his lips and watched the feet in front of him rock together in unison. His other hand clenched into a tight fist on the floor, the short nails biting mercilessly into his palm.

Leon finally let loose a shout that shook the thin warehouse walls. Cloud made a soft cry between clenched teeth, panting heavily. Leon's other foot returned to the floor shakily. Sephiroth watched Leon's knees buckle, but Cloud stood straighter, presumably holding his lover upright.

"You all right?" he heard the blonde ask. "Is your leg still…?"

"I'm okay," Leon answered, gasping for breath. "Just give me a moment."

"Okay, but you're on the clock," Cloud said. They laughed together at the obviously private joke, and Sephiroth felt more ashamed than ever for eavesdropping on the two.

There was a rustle of fabric and the rasp of Cloud's zipper being closed. Leon's hand fell into view as the brunette leaned down to grab his pants, grunting with the effort.

"I've got you," Cloud whispered, falling to his knees and easing Leon's bare leg back into the pants. Sephiroth couldn't see the blonde's face, but he imagined it was tilted up to look at Leon, because the brunette said, "Be careful. Don't want to catch anything in my fly."

"Romantic," Cloud said dryly, fastening his lover's pants and reaching up to straighten his shirt, which must have been rucked up to Leon's chest. Then Cloud retrieved the discarded socks and boots, guiding Leon's feet into them.

"Oh, man," Leon groaned, cracking his neck. "Next time, you can be the one shoved up against the wall. Deal?"

"I'm looking forward to it," Cloud said, snapping the buckles on Leon's boots.

"I can dress myself, you know," Leon protested half-heartedly.

Cloud hummed in agreement, rising to his feet. "Too late. All done."

Leon mumbled something before leaning forward to kiss Cloud again. After a few moments of listening to the sounds of gentle exploration, Sephiroth heard Cloud say, "We should probably get back soon."

"Yeah," Leon agreed, pressing one last kiss to the blonde's lips. "We must've wasted our whole lunch break."

"I wouldn't call it a waste," Cloud said wryly, his booted feet scuffing along the warehouse floor. His reached down to retrieve the white tube from the floor, his hands passing just inches away from Sephiroth's face.

Leon chuckled, picking up their swords from Sephiroth's view. "Let's go, love."

The hangar door opened, spilling bright light into the room and blinding Sephiroth momentarily. He saw the silhouettes of Cloud and Leon's legs leaving the building, their light laughter fading away in the distance. Then the door slammed shut and Sephiroth was alone.

* * *

"Oh, you're finally back," Aerith said, looking up from the book she was reading in the common room. "I was afraid you'd gotten lost. What took you so long?"

Sephiroth shut the front door behind him, his eyes on the carpet. "I…had a hard time finding the nails. The tool chest was a mess," he said, tucking a stray piece of silver hair behind his ear. He set the five or six nails down on the table.

Aerith cocked her head and studied him closely. "You look pale. Are you feeling all right?"

"Fine," Sephiroth said quickly. "I feel fine. Just a little hungry, maybe."

"It's lunchtime; why don't you go make yourself a sandwich?" Aerith said, gesturing to the kitchen.

Sephiroth nodded and walked to the fridge in a daze, pulling out random foodstuffs and putting them on the counter. He couldn't _believe_ what he'd just seen, or rather, heard, in the hangar. Sephiroth wasn't a fool; he realized what couples did together when they were alone. But to see two people that he knew like that…

He wondered idly if he'd ever had a lover before. His dreams were often terrifying nightmares filled with violence and madness, never a kiss or a caress. And though he'd sometimes dreamt of the kind-hearted Zack, Sephiroth couldn't recall a single memory of sharing a bed with anyone.

Not that I can remember, at least, Sephiroth assured himself. He couldn't be a _virgin_.

…Could he?

"Hey Seph!" The slam of one of the kitchen cabinets startled him out of his reverie. "Making lunch?"

"Oh, Tifa." Sephiroth looked up to see the long-haired girl holding an empty drinking glass. "Yes, I'm making a sandwich. Would you like one too?"

Tifa eyed the food on the counter warily. "What kind of sandwich is it?" she asked, grabbing a pitcher of juice from the open fridge to fill her glass.

Sephiroth glanced down at the massive pile he'd accumulated on the countertop. There was a jumbo-sized jar of mayo, six red beets, a side of uncooked bacon, and a can of relish, among other unidentifiable leftovers.

"Apparently, one without bread," Sephiroth sighed, sweeping the food into his arms and putting it back in the fridge, peering into its cold depths. "It seems we're running pretty low on edibles."

"Here," Tifa giggled, reaching past his shoulder to grab a tub of leftover beef stew on the top shelf. "Why don't I heat this up on the stove and we can split it?"

"That would be great," Sephiroth said, grateful that the woman had taken the decision out of his hands. He felt extremely off balance that afternoon.

"Hey, Seph?" Tifa began, pouring the food into a cast iron pot. "What are you doing tonight after dinner?"

Sephiroth remembered that Leon had told him to practice his sword drills, but he really didn't feel like training with his katana today.

"I'm not busy," he said, reaching into the high cupboards to get two bowls. "Is there something you needed?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to get some ice cream," Tifa said, shrugging casually. "Maybe go for a little walk."

"Sounds good," Sephiroth said, jumping at the chance to get out of the house for awhile. He had to get away from Cloud and Leon; he didn't think he could look at them right now without turning bright red.

"Okay. It's a date." Tifa smiled at him before turning back to stir the pot.

Sephiroth blinked. A what?


	7. Paying

WARNING: _Because I want to keep everything fair, this chapter contains non-explicit scenes of heterosexual romance. Hold on, everyone. I swear we'll make it through this weird Seph+Tifa moment together and everything will sort of make sense._

Suggested listening: Interpol. "Obstacle 1."

Suggested beverage: cranberry juice

* * *

Sephiroth stood in his room in front of his chest of drawers, opening and slamming each one with a frustrated sigh. He hadn't done laundry in over a week, and his clothing options were fairly slim. He looked down at the pale blue shirt he had worn all day, now stained with grease from the hangar floor. He couldn't wear this tonight. Not on a date.

But maybe Tifa hadn't meant 'date' like a _date_ date. He hoped she just meant a friendly outing. Even then, Sephiroth didn't want to chance wearing a dirty shirt. What if she showed up dressed much nicer? Damn it, spending time with Aerith wasn't this complicated!

He pulled out his only two clean choices and tossed them on his bed for consideration. One was a plain green T-shirt, a nice color that complemented his eyes, Aerith had once said. The other was a more formal white button-down. Sephiroth held each shirt up again and again, his mind spinning at the ramifications of one simple decision.

Pocket stalked around on the bed, rolling onto his back and batting at the shirts' hems with kittenish glee.

"What do you think?" Sephiroth asked the cat, holding the shirts up. "I can't seem to decide."

"Green," a gruff voice spoke up from the doorway. Sephiroth whirled around to see Cid leaning against the doorframe, picking at his teeth with a toothpick. "The white one is long-sleeved; too hot for this damn weather."

"Oh." Sephiroth blinked, glancing down at the clothes in his hands. "Thanks."

"Why the fuss over a shirt?" Cid asked, rubbing the back of his neck with a gloved hand. "Going somewhere special?"

"No. Maybe." Sephiroth frowned. "I'm not sure. Tifa asked me to go on a walk with her after dinner."

"Is there going to be ice cream?" Cid grunted, picking some dirt from under his nails.

"She did mention something about that…"

"Then it's a fucking date," Cid said, his hands on his hips. "That ice cream stand is the only place you can go on a date in this town. The bar's too filthy, the forest is too dangerous, and the bowling alley is still a pile of rocks at the moment." He leaned forward, glaring at Sephiroth with narrowed eyes. "Did you do something to her?"

"I didn't do anything," Sephiroth said, putting his hands up to calm the pilot. "She asked _me_, remember?"

"Yeah, okay. I'm not dense; I see the way she looks at you." Sephiroth's eyes widened, but Cid continued, heedless. "I'm just saying Tifa's a sweet kid. She's had a rough time these past couple years. It would be really shitty for someone to get her hopes up and then let her down, is all I'm telling ya."

Sephiroth straightened, towering over the older man. "I'm not trying to get anyone's hopes up," he said, setting his lips in a firm line. "Tifa's just trying to be friendly. It would be rude for me to refuse or to expect anything else."

"All right, then," Cid said, shrugging. "As long as we're clear."

"Guys, dinner's ready!" Aerith called from the kitchen. Sephiroth sighed and put the white shirt back in its drawer.

* * *

"Two sea salts please!" Tifa said, holding up two fingers in a V. The duck behind the counter, the same one Sephiroth had met a few days ago, squawked happily.

"Absolutely, my dear," Scrooge said, handing them two bright blue ice pops from his freezer. "That'll be twenty munny, please."

Sephiroth accepted the frozen treat, eyeing it with a calculating look. _This_ is what constituted a romantic evening in this town? It looked pretty bizarre and possibly toxic. He only looked back up when Tifa cleared her throat and nudged him in the ribs.

"Sorry?" he said, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Twenty munny," the duck repeated, a tight smile on his lips…bill…thing.

Sephiroth looked down at his shorter companion in confusion, but Tifa only smiled expectantly at him. Oh. _Oh._ He was supposed to pay!

"I, uh, don't have any munny," he told her quietly. "I don't really have a job, remember?"

Tifa's mouth turned into a little O of shock. "I'm so sorry," she said, flustered. She dug around in the pocket of her black skirt and came up with a few coins. "I wasn't thinking…I just…ah, assumed…"

"No, no, it's my fault," Sephiroth assured her as she handed the munny over to Scrooge. "I shouldn't expect you and the others to keep paying for my things."

"Well, when Leon lets you start working with the crew, you'll get a stipend like the rest of us," Tifa said cheerily. She waved goodbye to the duck and started down the street, Sephiroth at her side. "Maybe you can treat me then."

"I didn't realize you were paid for working," Sephiroth said, licking his ice cream carefully. Not bad. Really tasty, in fact.

"Well, it's not much. The townspeople pay taxes that go toward the restoration. Most of the munny is set aside for materials and our room and board, but we're given a small allowance each month for personal expenses," Tifa explained, walking at a leisurely pace. "Yuffie usually spends hers on new clothes and junk food. Cid used to waste his on cigarettes, but now I guess he's spending it on toothpicks," she laughed. "And Cloud pours most of his share into that old motorbike of his."

Sephiroth's eyebrows rose imperceptibly. So it was _Cloud's_ bike he'd hidden under that morning.

"What do you usually spend your earnings on?" Sephiroth asked politely, trying to shift the flow of conversation away from the blonde.

Tifa sighed, dragging her free hand through her long brown hair and licking at her sea salt ice cream. "I mostly save it. I don't need a lot of fancy new clothes, and I don't have a lot of hobbies. Once in awhile I get some new gloves." She rolled her eyes. "Not too exciting, I know."

They began walking across a small foot bridge that spanned a bubbling stream. Tifa paused to lean against the railing and watch the water rushing below. Sephiroth joined her, propping his elbow on the stone balustrade.

"Perhaps not," Sephiroth agreed. "But it's very responsible of you to save up."

"Yeah…" Tifa said offhandedly, sucking the last bit of ice cream from the wooden stick in her hand. "I wish I knew what I was saving it for, though."

Sephiroth struggled to come up with an appropriate response, his ice cream melting down his fingers. But Tifa continued a few seconds later.

"Leon is saving his munny, too. He's planning on building his own place someday. He's got the plot of land picked out and everything." She turned her head to wink at Sephiroth. "Don't tell Cloud. It's supposed to be a surprise."

Sephiroth took her bare stick from her fingers and threw it, along with his own, in a trash barrel a few feet away. Somehow, she always came back to Cloud. "I'm sure you'll have something worthwhile to save for too, Tifa," he said gently.

"Maybe…" she mumbled. Sephiroth turned to face her, about to reassure her, when suddenly her lips were on his. Two thoughts came to Sephiroth's mind, in order of importance:

Cid was going to have his head on a spike if he found out about this.

Tifa was quite a bold girl; even though Sephiroth made no move to respond to her kisses, she continued to try plying his lips open with caresses of her own. She was holding his angular chin in her hands so he couldn't move. Eventually, however, even someone as determined as Tifa had to give up the fruitless task.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, pulling away.

"I…" Sephiroth groped for words, looking down at the girl. Her large brown eyes were slowly filling with sadness. Her flawless skin was turning a bright pink. She was beautiful. And nothing about it moved him. "I'm sorry…" he managed. "I just don't feel…that way."

"Oh, this is so embarrassing," Tifa moaned, leaning her forearms on the railing and lowering her head into her hands. Sephiroth felt a sense of dread coming over him. What if she started to cry?

He had a suddenly flash of memory from the dream of Nibelheim. (Had he only dreamt about it last night?) That image of a younger Tifa, so cheerful in her oversized hat, was replaced with a girl in a rage, tears streaming downs her cheeks as she held her dying father.

His fault then. Still his fault.

"No, please don't be upset," Sephiroth pleaded, cautiously putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm the one who should be embarrassed. I thought you only wanted to be my friend. I should've—"

"This _always_ happens to me," Tifa said, slamming her fist into the stone rail. Sephiroth could've sworn the bridge shook with the blow. "First Cloud, then Leon. Who's going to reject me now? Vincent?" She gave a short bark of bitter laughter, still looking at the stream below.

"Tifa, I'm sorry," Sephiroth repeated. "I had no idea you felt that way about me. We've barely spoken since I arrived."

"You're right," Tifa sighed, leaning her head back to look at the few stars in the twilight sky. "I guess I'm just trying my luck, you know what I mean?"

"Not…really," he answered slowly.

Tifa turned to him, her lips twisted in a rueful smirk. "The only reason I came to Radiant Garden was to be with Cloud. And then, when I finally found him here, he told me thanks, but no thanks. I was devastated; I thought we were meant to be together. But Leon was such a nice guy, so I asked him out a few months later. No dice, and I soon found out why." She shook her head self-deprecatingly. "They were low-key about being together for a long time. I guess Cloud didn't want me to feel humiliated about it."

"But you're a wonderful woman," Sephiroth told her even as she scoffed. "I'm serious. You don't need a man in your life to be happy."

"Yeah, right," the girl grumbled, staring blankly over the edge of the bridge.

"Ah," Sephiroth said, leaning his hip against the bridge railing to look at Tifa with understanding. "You feel you have no real place here anymore, right?"

"That's exactly it!" Tifa exploded, throwing her arms into the air. "Everyone is so gung-ho on chipping in and doing their part to rebuild the town. But when it's done, they're all going to have something else in mind to do with their lives." She dropped her hands to her sides with a heavy sigh. "What am I going to have?"

"I can sympathize," Sephiroth said quietly. "To not have a plan for the future…it's a frightening thought. Sometimes at night I," he swallowed, "I'm gripped by a crushing panic. I know very little about who I was; I barely understand this world. How can I face what is to come when the past and the present are still a mystery?"

"I hear ya," Tifa said, pushing some wayward strands of brown hair out of her face. They stood there, looking out at the trickling river below as night fell. "Thanks for listening," she said after a long silence. "Sometimes you just need to vent a little, you know?"

Sephiroth nodded. "I know."

"And…I'm sorry for kissing you like that." Tifa blushed again. "That was pretty desperate, huh?"

"Oh, so you had to be desperate before trying to kiss me?" Sephiroth joked. "That's going to bruise my ego."

"Watch it, bub," Tifa laughed, giving him a light jab to the stomach, "or I'll bruise something else of yours."

They began walking back towards the brownstone, the path lit with flickering street lights. Tifa opened and closed her mouth several times, as if giving up on what she was going to say, before she finally blurted, "So did you know you were gay as soon as you got out of the pond?"

"Excuse me?" Sephiroth blanched, his steps slowing until he stopped in the middle of the street.

"You know," Tifa gestured vaguely, her hand making looping circles in the air. "When you first arrived, you knew how to walk and talk and all the other things that come naturally. So did you also remember you were gay, or did you realize it later?"

Sephiroth gave a sputtering laugh. "I'm not gay!"

"Okay." Tifa rolled her eyes. "But if you weren't, then could this," she ran her hands along her curvy body, "honestly not get your blood pumping?"

The silver-haired man sighed and massaged his temples with his fingertips. "You're a very attractive young lady, Tifa," he said carefully, "but I don't think you're the defining barometer of heterosexuality."

Tifa snorted incredulously and pointed to his shirt. "You dress too well to be straight, anyway. That color really brings out your eyes."

Sephiroth glanced down at his green shirt and flushed. "Cid picked this out!" he cried defensively.

"I always wondered about him, too." Tifa tapped her finger on her chin, looking up at the streetlight as if in deep thought. "There's a certain age where, if a man's not married yet…"

Sephiroth crossed his arms over his chest. "Your theory is flawed," he informed her. "If I'm gay because I have nice clothes, which _Aerith _chose for me by the way, than how do you explain Cloud and Leon's wardrobes?"

"Aha!" She thrust her finger in his face in accusation. "You notice what they wear!"

"It's the same thing practically every day!" Sephiroth spread his hands out in a helpless gesture. "Of course I'm going to notice. That doesn't make me gay!"

"No, but you know what does?" Tifa laughed. "Liking guys."

Sephiroth sighed heavily. "I don't like guys," he said firmly.

"Oh yeah?" Tifa clasped her hands behind her back and cocked her head coyly to the side. "Then what _does_ get your blood pumping, Seph?"

His face turned red as he thought back to the unexpected show he'd watched in the hangar that morning. Just the smell of leather or the sight of someone's bare foot was liable to make him think about Cloud and Leon's liaison again. It was difficult to get out of his head, difficult to stop the arousal that followed those memories.

Tifa watched Sephiroth blush deeper and deeper, a small smile on her lips. "Case closed," she whispered, turning on her heel and walking back towards the house.

Sephiroth's mouth opened and closed like a landed fish, but he couldn't force any words to respond. He could only duck his head and follow the girl down the street. He had fallen a few steps behind and was passing an alleyway when a golden claw snaked out of a shadow and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"What—" Sephiroth yelped as he was pulled into the dark alley. He squinted in the gloom to see the pale face of Vincent Valentine, a dark shape of black and red that blended into the night air like a ghost.

"We need to talk," the gunslinger said.

"Great," Sephiroth sighed.


	8. Listening

Author's Note: OK, so that last chapter wasn't the best thing ever...I am not deterred! (Though I'd hug and feed reviews muchly.) Hope you enjoy this bit of continued weirdness.

Suggested listening: Taking Back Sunday. "This Photograph is Proof (I Know You Know)"

Suggested beverage: hot chocolate

* * *

"You've changed your hair," Vincent noted from his perch on the edge of the rooftop. The dark-haired man had suggested they go someplace private to speak, and Sephiroth found himself scaling a rickety ladder to get to the brownstone's roof, trying to keep up with Vincent. The mysterious man seemed to crawl up the brick façade with no help whatsoever.

"Did you really bring me up here to discuss my hairstyle?" Sephiroth grumbled, sitting down on the gravel surface of the roof.

"I wanted to ask you a few questions," Vincent said, his tattered red cape fluttering around him in the sudden night breeze. "Normally I would have asked Cloud or the others, but they seem distinctly uninterested with the circumstances surrounding your reappearance."

"There's not a lot to tell." Sephiroth tugged his silver hair behind one ear; the wind was whipping it about his face. "I don't remember anything before waking up in that pond in the forest. I only know about bits and pieces of my past, mostly from the files in the computer and the few things Cloud has mentioned."

"What about these dreams you keep having?" Vincent's glowing red eyes bored into Sephiroth's.

"How did you know?" he asked, rubbing his palms together.

"Aerith commented on it in passing." Vincent waved the hand with the claw attached in a dismissive gesture. "Can you tell me what you dream about?"

Sephiroth spoke carefully, one hand covering his eyes in thought. "They seem very real, but not very clear. I suppose that's an oxymoron, but it's the only way I can describe it." He sighed, splaying his fingers and tilting his head to look up at the starry sky. "Sometimes in my dreams I'm trapped in my body, watching myself do horrible things. Other times I watch myself from the outside, like I'm a ghost watching life play out in front of me."

Vincent nodded. "You understand what you once were, then?"

"Just last night, I dreamt of the day I went mad. I remember giving into the darkness." Sephiroth fisted his hands in his lap. "I was a monster."

Vincent seemed to swoop closer, looking down into Sephiroth's green eyes. "That's not entirely accurate," he said. "You were much more complicated than most monsters."

"I don't get your meaning," the silver-haired man said. Vincent stood and paced the rooftop, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Usually when a person gives into the darkness, they lose their heart. They become Heartless, mindless creatures driven by the Darkness. If they're strong enough, they might retain some of their former characteristics, but the Darkness still controls them." He looked up at Sephiroth sharply. "You never did any of that. You never lost your heart."

"That's impossible," Sephiroth said, his voice rising. "I killed hundreds of people. I tried to destroy whole worlds."

"Yes, but none of your actions were forced by the Darkness." Vincent dropped his chin to his chest, hiding his mouth behind the folds of his cape. "Your heart was blackened and dead, but you never let it go."

Sephiroth blinked, trying to remember. "I don't understand."

"Contrary to popular belief, the Darkness isn't a person. It's true that in the past few years, the Darkness has chosen certain avatars to do its bidding in an eternal fight against the Light," Vincent explained.

"Ansem and his Nobody, Xenmas," Sephiroth supplied. "Just like the Light chooses Keyblade Bearers. Tron told me about them."

"Exactly." Vincent tugged his cape tighter around his frame. The wind was really picking up. "They were recruited by the Darkness because of their power. But as powerful as they were, they were still merely tools." His red eyes narrowed against the stinging wind. "You were stronger than they, Sephiroth. Perhaps stronger than the two put together."

"That doesn't make any sense," Sephiroth cried to be heard above the now-roaring wind. He wrapped his arms around himself, cursing Cid for suggesting the thin shirt he wore. "If I was so strong, why didn't I join the Darkness and become an unstoppable avatar?"

"You had other plans in mind," Vincent answered, his long black locks lashing his face. "You were so strong, you were able to be consumed by the Darkness without becoming its puppet. You fought alongside the Dark forces when it suited you, but you had a separate agenda, one that you would not lose sight of."

"A separate agenda?" Sephiroth looked back up at the sky. Dark clouds were slowly covering the stars and moon. "What was I after?"

Vincent closed his left hand, watching the golden claws flex as well. "I think you know. You did very little to hide it."

The silver-haired man groaned in frustration, holding his head in his hands. "I told you, I can't remember anything."

Vincent took the few steps over to where Sephiroth sat and crouched down to look him in the eye. He leaned forward slowly, drawing closer and closer to the other man's face. Sephiroth fought the urge to pull away or avert his eyes; this seemed to be the way Vincent evaluated his prey. Their noses were almost touching.

"You remember this," he whispered in a low voice. "You just don't know it yet."

Sephiroth swallowed, his mouth going dry.

"Hey you sons of bitches!" The two men looked over to the edge of the roof where Cid was hanging onto the ladder and shouting over the wind. "You better get inside quick. Looks like a storm is coming."

Vincent glanced at the turbulent sky above them as if just noticing it. "So it seems. We'll be right down."

Cid clambered down the ladder with a slew of curses that faded away in the wind. Vincent rose to his feet and offered Sephiroth his un-clawed hand. "Come. You'll remember in time."

"Why don't you just tell me?" Sephiroth asked, taking his hand and standing as well. "You've told me all the other details of my past."

"I told you the facts," Vincent contended. "This is more a…matter of the heart. It's not my place to say what it is." He shrugged in apology, saying, "Let's go before Highwind ruptures something."

* * *

"Damn it, Val, Seph isn't immortal anymore! You can't be dragging him around in a lightning storm in the middle of the night. Now drink this." Cid shoved twin mugs of hot cocoa at them, sloshing some onto Sephiroth's bare hand. He flinched, but wisely didn't say anything to the ranting pilot. Lightning crashed loudly, flashing bright through the kitchen window.

"The storm just began," Vincent pointed out, sipping the drink. "And it's only nine-thirty." The three men were alone in the common room at any rate; everyone else seemed to be in their rooms getting ready for bed.

"Like it fucking matters!" Cid grumbled, sitting down at the long wooden table with them. "What were you ladies chatting about up there anyway?"

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "We _gentlemen_ were discussing a few things just between the two of us."

Cid looked sharply at Vincent, but the man only drank deeply from his mug. "Fine, fine. Keep it in your fancy I Can Use Big Fucking Words club. See if I care," the pilot said, crossing his arms over his chest with a pout.

"Where are your cigarettes?" Vincent asked suddenly, reaching out a gloved hand to flitch the toothpick from between Cid's lips. "And what is _this _for?"

"I'm trying to quit," Cid snapped, snatching the little bit of wood back. "I got to keep my mouth busy somehow, don't I?"

"One has to wonder when exactly your mouth _isn't_ busy, Highwind," Vincent said, smirking behind the rim of his coffee cup.

"Har har," the mechanic muttered. "Laugh it up, Vampire. We'll see who's laughing when I sprinkle holy water on ya tonight."

"Forgive me for asking," Sephiroth broke in, "but are you really a vampire, Vincent?"

"Close enough!" Cid chuckled. "He sure sucks the life out of me, that's for damn sure."

The cloaked man ignored the joke, instead turning to Sephiroth. "I don't drink blood, if that's what you're asking." Vincent took another sip from his mug. "Leon would be remiss in his duties if he allowed a vampire to hunt down innocents in his town, wouldn't he?" A massive boom of thunder shook the house as lightning flashed through the windows, lighting up the planes of Vincent's face.

Sephiroth laughed nervously. "Right. Of course. I just wondered because you look so…"

"Demonic?" Vincent supplied, lifting his red eyes from the whorls in his cup.

"I wasn't going to say that," Sephiroth said quickly.

"Don't worry. I've been called worse." The black-haired man drained his cup and set it down on the tabletop. "I believe I'll retire for the evening. Goodnight."

"Should be blankets in the closet if you need them," Cid called to him over his shoulder as the other man stood to leave.

Vincent nodded his thanks, disappearing from the room like smoke.

So, Sephiroth thought, it seems he shared the pilot's room. "You two seem close," he said in an even tone, sipping at his warm drink.

Cid grunted and tore at the skin around his fingernails. "I'm not his boyfriend, if that's what you're getting at. I'm not queer."

"I didn't mean to imply—" Sephiroth began, putting his hands up.

"Lots of people see us together and assume shit," Cid said, biting at a hangnail. "You know, like how could two completely opposite bastards like us stand each other? Must be fucking." He sighed, examining his nails again. "We might look different on the outside, but we've gone through a lot of the same stuff. Besides, it's kind of nice to have someone to talk to. Not a lot you can say to shock a guy with demons living inside of 'im."

"Demons?" Sephiroth's green eyes went wide. "I thought he said…"

"Long story." Cid waved it off as if it were an insect in the air. "Anyway, Val's my best friend. And he's sleeping on my floor, not in my goddamned bed, okay?"

"Okay," Sephiroth answered, ducking his head. "I'm sorry I thought—"

"Nah, it's fine." Cid gave a lecherous grin. "If I was queer, I'd sure as shit be banging someone classy like him."

Sephiroth screwed his face up at the thought. "Lovely," he commented, drinking more hot chocolate. A best friend…a man that could be counted on to hold your secrets safe. Is that what Zack had been so long ago?

The door flew open in that moment, slamming against the wall with the force of the wind. A soaked Yuffie stood in the doorway, water dripping from her short dark hair as she fought to catch her breath.

"Holy shit, Yuffie," Cid cursed. "What's the matter?"

"Wake everyone up!" Yuffie cried. "The town's under attack!"

Sephiroth and Cid were out of their chairs in an instant. The mechanic immediately ran to the computer console in the corner and began typing rapid fire commands. "What is it?" he demanded.

"Thieves," the girl gasped. "Locke's gang."

"I'm tripping the alarm system," Cid yelled. "That should alert all the townspeople. Seph, get the others out of bed. We have some ass to kick."

* * *

The gang quickly assembled in the common room, some still pulling on shirts and jackets. Outside, the rain was beating against the window panes mercilessly.

"Status?" Leon barked, strapping his Gunblade around his waist.

"Locke and about fifty of his men started filtering into town," Yuffie said. "I was walking back from the market and overheard some of them talking in an alley. They're striking tonight and stealing whatever they can get their filthy hands on. And they're all armed."

"They've probably already begun hitting the shops," Cloud murmured, buckling his sword's harness into place. "Locke is brutal; he'll have his men spread out and loot the houses. We're dealing with criminals who don't mind getting their hands bloody for a little bit of gold."

"You've fought these men before?" Sephiroth asked. He was dumping bottles of potion into a bag for Aerith.

"They've hit a few small villages," Vincent answered. "Nothing of this scale before. His band used to be much smaller."

"Well, let's go show them what happens when you mess with Radiant Garden," Tifa growled, pulling her black gloves on.

"It might not be that easy," Aerith warned. "If all fifty men split up and attack our homes, defeating them without any townspeople getting hurt is going to be difficult."

"Locke will be in the market," Leon said firmly. "He'll want to be in the center of everything. We could fight our way to him and take him out."

"And then what?" Aerith pointed out. "How do we get the rest of the thieves? What we need to do if figure out a way to force them all out en masse instead of finding them one by one. We're sorely outnumbered here."

Sephiroth looked up quickly. "I have an idea," he said. "If I could get to this leader of theirs…"

"You're not going anywhere. You're not ready to fight in the field, Sephiroth," Leon said, slashing his hand through the air with finality.

"Listen first!" Sephiroth said. "If you can get me close enough to Locke…well, first I need your pants."

Leon blinked. "My what?"

"Your pants! The leather ones," Sephiroth cried, unzipping his own and kicking off his boots. "And Cloud, I'll need your shoulder armor. And Leon's black jacket. A long pair of gloves. And what's the longest sword you have?"

"I don't get it," Yuffie said. "What exactly are you going to do? Striptease for them?"

Aerith's eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh, I see! Brilliant, Seph! Leon, Cloud, go get what he needs." The two men ran to follow her orders. She reached up to comb some of his silver hair over his face with her fingers. "Here, try not to show your eyes or they might notice they're not glowing."

"What the hell is going on?" Cid demanded, watching the girl groom Sephiroth. "The town's under fire, and you're playing dress up?"

"Just wait a second!" Aerith scolded him, tugging Sephiroth's green shirt over his head.

Cloud and Leon returned to the common room with an armload of gear, blinking at the sight of Sephiroth in only his boxer shorts standing in the living room. Sephiroth pulled on Leon's black leather pants, tucking the too-short bottoms into the tops of his boots. He shrugged on the short leather jacket over his bare chest and strapped on the shoulder armor. Finally, he mussed his hair even more and grabbed the five foot blade Leon handed him. Sephiroth stood up at his full height, towering over the others.

"Oooooh," Yuffie said in awe, taking in the whole effect.

"I may not be able to fight these thieves," Sephiroth said in a deep rumbling voice, "but the Great General won't even have to lift a finger."


	9. Pretending

Author's Note: Just when the story was going smoothly and you're buffing your fluff and angst levels nicely, a mini-game pops up! Quick, get Sephiroth to the market before the clock runs out!

Suggested listening: Nine Inch Nails. "Just Like You Imagined"

Suggested beverage: rain

* * *

Locke, the renowned bandit, sat on a barrel in the middle of the town square and prepared to light a small cigar. His right-hand man stood there in the rain, holding an umbrella over him to keep him dry. The thief puffed away at his cigar, savoring the flavor.

"Glorious," he murmured, squinting in the dark. He could distantly hear women screaming and glass breaking. "What are we up to now, Biggs?" he asked the man with the umbrella.

"Let me see, boss." Biggs pulled out a PHS, keeping it safely dry under the umbrella and switching it on. "Anyone got anything to report?" he spoke into the device.

A static-filled channel opened up and someone answered, "Sure do! We just found a shitload of gold and silver here at an armory shop. It's gotta be worth a thousand munny!"

"A thousand, huh?" Locke blew a cloud of white smoke into the rainy night air. "We're on quite a roll, aren't we?"

"Looks that way, boss." Biggs nodded.

"Anybody giving us trouble?" Locke asked.

Biggs opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a thief running by with several pins and needles stuck in his back. The two men in the square watched the injured man run away screaming, followed by a blind woman surrounded by floating sewing materials.

"I'll show you where the safe is, you little snot!" the woman yelled, trotting past Locke and Biggs.

Biggs cleared his throat. "Resistance is minimal, I think," he finally said.

"That's what I like to hear," the bandit sighed, taking another drag on his cigar.

* * *

Back at the brownstone, the team was preparing to jump into the fray, weapons at the ready. Sephiroth grabbed his old black cloak from its peg on the wall; no sense in showing his hand too soon. Once the door opened, the noise from the streets became deafening; there was pounding rain and thunder, the constant blaring of the town alarm, and shouts and screams of townspeople being attacked.

"I want everyone in flanking positions around Sephiroth," Leon shouted above the din. "If this crazy plan is going to work, we need to get him safely to the market square. Only break off from the group if you need to help defend a civilian. Everyone understand?"

Everyone yelled back their consent. Cloud took up a defensive position at Sephiroth's right side. The silver-haired man glanced down at him, then looked away quickly and pretended to adjust his grip on the long sword he held in his left hand.

"You sure you can do this?" Cloud whispered to him as they began striding down the slick road in unison, surrounded by the crew.

"I'll die trying, won't I?" Sephiroth said grimly. He weighed the heavy blade in his hand; he wasn't even sure he could wield it if need be.

They turned a corner and ran up against two thieves armed with carving knives threatening a mother with a baby in her arms. The woman screamed at the sight of Leon, pleading for help.

"Yuffie!" Leon ordered, pointing her to the misfits and continuing on without breaking stride.

The girl ninja hoisted her throwing star with a grin. "You guys call yourselves thieves? _Real_ thieves don't go after ladies!"

Sephiroth watched as Yuffie attacked both men with a few well-aimed moves. He instinctively tried to stop and help her, but Cloud pushed him from behind.

"She's got it covered," the blonde said. "Keep moving."

Leon led the way down the street, checking every dark alley they passed. They soon came upon a thief trying to yank a box out of a boy's hands. Leon turned, his brown hair plastered to his face in the rain. "Tifa!" he shouted.

"I'm on it," she said, running down the alley. "Try picking on someone your own size!" she cried, landing a punch in the man's midsection. Two more of Locke's gang leapt from the shadows, but the martial artist held them off with a series of powerful kicks.

"Come on. Let's go," Leon said, waving the remaining members forward. He jumped back soon, however, narrowly missing a chair that had been thrown through a window. Two brawling men soon followed the chair into the street. One was the town butcher, trying to defend himself against yet another thief.

"Let me handle this one," Cid growled, twirling his pike in his hands. He gave the thief a resounding blow to the back of the head with the blunt end of the handle, knocking him out cold. A few other thieves stood nearby, piles of valuables in their hands. "Who's next?" Cid challenged, spinning his weapon and thumbing his nose. "Just warning ya, I'm using the pointy part from now on!" The thieves turned and ran, and Cid went after them.

Leon glanced back, seeing that only Vincent, Sephiroth, Cloud and Aerith remained. "Okay, we should be fine. The market's only—"

A pistol went off, hitting Leon in his right arm. The leader groaned in pain and went down on one knee on the wet cobblestones. Blood streamed from between his fingers as he clutched the wound.

"Leon!" Aerith ran to his side to administer a potion.

Cloud readied his sword, his blue eyes darting around the street. "Where did that come from?" he growled.

"Please, allow me," Vincent said, stepping forward and throwing his red cloak to the ground. Sephiroth watched in amazement as the man's form shimmered and changed, finally morphing into a devil with bat wings. The beast roared and flew to a nearby rooftop, where its claws met the shooter's face. The thief dropped his gun and jumped from the roof to get away from Vincent, landing with a crash in a pile of barrels below.

"The demons inside him…" Sephiroth whispered to himself. He watched the winged devil scream its victory to the heavens and fly off to hunt more of the interlopers.

"Aerith, get Seph to the square! I've got Leon!" Cloud shouted above the raging noise. The storm was only getting fiercer, thundering incessantly. The blonde pulled the other man off the ground. The bullet wound in Leon's arm was still bleeding.

"I need to get the bullet out before I can heal him," Aerith said, throwing aside an empty potion bottle.

"I'll be fine," Leon panted, hefting his Gunblade in his left hand. "It's been awhile since I fought leftie, but Cloud's got my back. Just get Sephiroth to Locke."

All around them, chaos reigned. A fire had broken out in a nearby house, its windows cracking in the heat. Aerith grabbed for Sephiroth's hand, but he pulled away.

"Watch out!" Sephiroth yelled, lifting his heavy sword just in time to deflect a blow from a dagger-wielding thief. The knife had been aimed at Cloud's back, and the blonde had been too preoccupied with Leon to notice the attack. The thief quickly produced another dagger in his left hand, stabbing Sephiroth deep in his side.

"Shit!" Sephiroth shouted in surprise, bashing the hilt of his sword into the thief's face. The bandit fell to the ground with a pained groan.

"Damn it, Sephiroth," Leon cursed. "What were you thinking? Cloud can take hits like that better than you can."

"You should've let me handle it," Cloud growled, inspecting the small dagger sticking out of Sephiroth's flank. The swordsman grabbed the hilt, looking up at the taller man's face. "I'm going to pull it out. Ready?"

Sephiroth nodded, his face going pale with the pain. Cloud wrenched the blade from his body, trying to staunch the flow of blood at the same time with his gloved hand.

"Here, I'll heal him," Aerith said, rummaging in her bag of potions.

"Do it while moving," Leon ordered. "We're running out of time."

"Can you keep going?" Cloud asked the dazed man before him. When Sephiroth didn't seem to answer, Cloud grabbed the sides of his face and shouted, "Are you still standing, soldier?"

Sephiroth's green eyes finally focused on Cloud's face. "I'm standing, sir," he whispered. Everything felt so familiar, like he and Cloud had done this before. Except the roles were switched.

"Good." Cloud released his grip on Sephiroth's face and turned to Aerith. "Get him out of here. Leon and I will hold them back."

The two swordsmen stood back to back, slashing at any thief who dared come near them. Leon kept his injured arm cradled against his stomach, and Cloud glanced back over his shoulder to make sure his partner was handling his share without any further problems. Sephiroth stood watching for a moment, holding his injured side. It felt like something was on the tip of his tongue, like he was on the verge of remembering something.

"Let's go," Aerith said, pulling him away from the scene. "We need to hurry."

* * *

Locke tossed the glowing end of his cigar to the ground where it hissed in the rain. "Some weather, huh, Biggs?" he commented to his flunky with the umbrella.

"Perfect for a raid, boss," he answered.

"I do like the drama." The bandit glanced at his watch. "How much longer should I give the boys?"

"They're having so much fun, boss," Biggs said, waggling the PHS in his hand. "Just a few more hours?"

"You'll leave now," a voice boomed in the darkness. Locke squinted through the harsh rain to see a black shape at the other side of the square.

"Oh yeah?" he grunted. "Says who?"

The black cloak fell to the ground, revealing a tall swordsman dressed in black leather. His shoulder-length silver hair hung in his face, and his gloved hands were covered in blood. The man raised his long sword, slashing through the wet night air.

"S-Sephiroth," Biggs stuttered. He let go of the umbrella in his haste to scramble away, but Locke grabbed the thief by the back of his shirt. "Let me go! He'll kill us all!"

"Shut up!" Locke barked. His dark eyes narrowed on the newcomer's form. "Sephiroth is dead. He's been gone for years. I saw his picture in the papers, and this guy doesn't look like him." He scoffed, gesturing to the man across the square. "The real Sephiroth's got longer hair, a longer sword, and a longer jacket."

Sephiroth crossed the square in long strides, his armor clinking and his sword scraping along the ground. After a few moments, his boots seemed to leave the cobblestones and he walked _on thin air_. The two thieves were frozen, watching his approach. When he was finally close enough, Sephiroth reached out with a bloodied hand and wrapped it around Locke's throat.

"Hell can change a man," Sephiroth growled roughly, tightening his grip. He lifted his free hand to the sky, and lightning seemed to shoot directly where he pointed.

"If you're the real Sephiroth," Locke gasped, his fingers working in vain around Sephiroth's wrist, "what do you care if we plunder Radiant Garden?"

The silver-haired man smirked, rolling his head on his shoulders as if trying to get a kink out of his muscles. "I have plans for this place," he said. "Everything in it is mine to torment, not yours. Understand, thief?"

He flung the limp man from his seat on the barrel. Locke landed with a splash in a muddy puddle. "Boss?" Biggs called, cowering in relative shelter under a torn awning.

"You'll leave now, every single one of your men. Not in an hour. Not in minutes." Sephiroth floated back down to the ground, standing tall over the other man. "Right. Now."

"Biggs," Locke wheezed, trying to get the filthy water from his mouth. "Get on the PHS. Tell all the boys to bail."

"And tell them to leave all their treasures behind," Sephiroth snarled.

"Of course, sir," Biggs called, consulting the device in his hand. "I'm doing it right now, Sephiroth, sir. I swear." True to his word, he gave the orders over the PHS in a trembling voice.

Sephiroth nodded and placed a foot on Locke's chest, leaning down to glare at him through his unkempt hair. "If I find one thief left in this town, if I find one piece of silverware missing, I will hunt you down and take pleasure in killing you," Sephiroth promised. Then he lifted his boot and let the thief scramble away on his hands and knees.

"We're gone, we're out already," Locke said, picking himself up from the soaked ground. Biggs grabbed his leader by the arm and half-ran, half-dragged him out of the town square. Sephiroth watched them go, then let out a huge sigh when they rounded the corner and left him. The heavy sword hit the street with a clang, along with a silver bangle embossed with angel wings.

"You did great, Seph," Aerith called, rising from her position behind a barrel at the far end of the square. "I timed that Thunder spell pretty well. And the float charm worked like…well, you know."

Sephiroth wobbled slightly on his feet and unzipped Leon's borrowed jacket. His wound had reopened, staining the jacket lining an inky black. He pressed his hand to where he'd been stabbed, watching his fingers become tacky with blood.

"Aerith…" he whispered. "I…"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Are you still hurt?" She ran to his side, fishing a potion from her pack. "Here, let me get that for you."

She uncorked the bottle, but stopped when she saw Sephiroth's shoulders quaking. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Does it hurt very much?"

"I never want to do that again," Sephiroth said in a shaky voice. He tilted his head up to the sky. It was still pitch-black night. "Please don't make me."

"Oh, sweetheart." Aerith dropped the potion to the ground where it rolled away, forgotten. She wrapped her arms around him, letting his head fall to her shoulder.

"I wasn't pretending. I really could have," Sephiroth babbled into the fabric of her pink denim jacket. "I wanted to kill him. For bringing all those thieves here, for trying to hurt…for trying to hurt him…"

"It's okay," Aerith said, rubbing his shoulder soothingly. "It's over now. It's all over."

Sephiroth let her comfort him, then after awhile she led him home. Tripping over broken glass and splintered wood in the street, he couldn't help but think that nothing was over. That it was only just beginning.


	10. Becoming

Author's Note: Saddest. Chapter. Ever. Sorry for the big downer. Some near-non-con is ahead, just to warn you. And thank you all for the wonderful reviews for the last chapter; it was a happy surprise to see so many responses to my mini-game! Thank you especially for sticking through 10+ chapters of a story that started out life as a oneshot and grew from there.

Suggested listening: The New Amsterdams. "Idaho."

Suggested beverage: milk

* * *

Sephiroth's pet kitten, Pocket, died in an accident the next day. During the raid, a few windows in the brownstone were knocked out and Pocket crawled outside. None of the tired crew members seemed to notice when they finally trudged home to get a few hours' sleep until daybreak, when they'd have to help clean up the streets. The town's thoroughfares were choked with both garbage and plunder that the thieves had dropped and everything was a mess.

There was a torn box of rat poison scattered across their own street, but no one noticed. Aerith found the cat in the garden the next morning, wedged between two cabbages, stiff with death.

It had been an accident.

The girl choked back a few tears and wrapped the small animal in a clean dishtowel. Then she went to wake up Sephiroth to tell him the news because that was her job.

"Pocket?" was the only thing the man could say, blinking sleep out of his eyes and stroking the still bundle carefully. "Pocket?"

* * *

Aerith assembled the entire crew at the back of the garden in the overcast morning light. The rain had finally slowed, still misting at points and leaving the ground thick with mud. She had Cid dig a tiny grave underneath some of her fruit trees while the others watched.

"I know you're tired," she'd told them all when she woke them up that morning, "but it would mean a lot to Sephiroth if you came."

So everyone was there, albeit choking back yawns and hastily dressed in damp clothes from last night. Sephiroth didn't notice that, though; he kept his eyes firmly on the little grave at his feet.

Aerith laid Pocket in the dirt and Cid covered him with a few turns of his shovel. They all stood in the chilly morning breeze, silent.

"Would anyone like to say a few words?" Aerith asked.

There was a long silence then in which no one knew quite what to say. But to everyone's shock, Leon cleared his throat and spoke up.

"I didn't know Pocket very well," Leon began, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. His injured arm was healed and wrapped; Aerith had removed the bullet last night. He scratched at the bandages absentmindedly. "But Pocket was a good cat. He got into spots of trouble every once in awhile, but…"

Tifa and Yuffie wiped tears from their faces, smiling sadly at the memories.

"But that's what kittens do. They get into trouble. And Pocket was great at that, at being what he was." Leon glanced up at Cloud's face, staring at him from across the mound of dirt. "We couldn't ask anything more from him."

"That was very nice, Leon," Aerith said. She bent down to place a dew-covered lily on the kitten's grave.

One by one, everyone trickled away from the impromptu funeral, leaving Sephiroth to stand beside the burial mound. Tifa gave Sephiroth's shoulder a firm squeeze as she passed, but said nothing. Cid, who had taken off his goggles in a show of respect, whispered a gruff 'sorry'. Vincent nodded to him, and Yuffie gave him a little half-hug. Soon they were all gone, and Sephiroth remained there at the back of the garden. An hour or so may have gone by; the sun was higher in the sky, a pale disk behind the grey clouds. A gentle rain began anew, soaking Sephiroth's hair and clothes. And still he stood.

"You don't have to help us clean up today if you don't feel like it," a voice behind him finally said, "but you shouldn't stand out here in the rain."

Sephiroth sighed. "Since when do you care where I stand, Cloud?"

The blonde swordsman took a few more steps forward beside the taller man. They both kept their eyes on the ground where Pocket was buried.

"You're a part of the team now," Cloud said. "You proved yourself to everyone last night. Every single one of us agreed that you should be on the committee, if that's what you want."

"I see." Sephiroth gave a bitter bark of laughter. "So all I had to do was threaten a man with a painful death? Your little club has strange rules."

Cloud's brows furrowed, his pale brows knitting together in confusion. "If it bothered you so much," he asked, "why did you volunteer to do it? It was your idea."

Sephiroth let his chin fall to his chest with a heavy sigh. "I know. I'm sorry, I…" He lifted his face to the grey-white sky, letting drops of rain run alongside his tears. "I didn't know it would be so hard. Any of this…it's so hard."

"Seph?" Cloud ventured.

"It must seem silly to you, getting so emotional over things like this." Sephiroth gestured to the fresh grave at their feet. "Pocket was just a cat, I know. And I'm sure I've seen so much death in my lifetime, but this is different. He was so small, so innocent." The silver-haired man shook his head slowly. "He never hurt anybody in his life," he whispered. "So why is he dead?"

Cloud raised a tentative hand to the other man's shoulder. "It's just the way things happen, sometimes," he said.

Sephiroth fell to his knees in the soft mud, but Cloud didn't remove his hand or react to the movement. "I've been thinking about the way things are supposed to happen," Sephiroth said darkly. His silver hair, dripping wet from the rain, hung in his face. "I've been thinking about my dreams. My memories."

"And?" Cloud prompted, rubbing his gloved hand soothingly over his shoulder.

Sephiroth looked up at the man standing over him. Rain was dripping off the ends of his blonde spikes and running in tiny rivers along his black leather guards. His Mako eyes were bright in the grey drizzle. The silver-haired man held the glowing blue gaze.

"Vincent told me I never lost my heart to the Darkness," he said, "because I wanted something badly enough to try and keep it."

Cloud shrugged, his boots squelching in the mud as he shifted his weight. "It's a theory."

"He said my goal was obvious. That I didn't try to hide it." Sephiroth didn't drop his gaze though the blonde did.

Cloud released his shoulder to drag his hand through his wet hair. "You said a lot of things while you were Dark. I couldn't count any of it as truthful," he said.

Sephiroth turned quick as lightning and grabbed Cloud's hips in his hands. The blonde froze, hands in midair, as the silver-haired man rested the side of his face on Cloud's warm stomach. His breath ghosted through the thin shirt the blonde wore.

"I remember what I wanted," he whispered into the dark, damp fabric of Cloud's shirt. "I remember what I needed."

"Don't…" Cloud stuttered.

"Don't lie to me anymore!" Sephiroth exploded, pulling at Cloud's body with his powerful hands. He looked up at the wide blue eyes staring down at him. He didn't care if Cloud saw the tears in his own. "You _knew_ what you were to me. My killer, my victim, my toy, my life…We were linked together; we were each other's dark shadow."

"That was all in your head," Cloud said, covering Sephiroth's hands with his own and prying them off his hips. He held the other man's hands clasped in his to keep them controlled. "You were obsessed."

"And so were you!" Sephiroth shouted. "You chased me across the universe, and I let you follow me. You could think of nothing but conquering me. And I wanted you to." A low moan in his throat. "I still want you." He lunged forward again, trying to capture Cloud in his hands again, but the blonde's boots slid on the wet ground and he ended up falling backwards into the sloppy mud. Sephiroth was on top of him in an instant.

"Stop! Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled, unable to twist away from his searching hands. They were under his shirt, flat against his flanks, blunt nails digging harshly. Hot breath puffed against his neck, warming the rainwater-slicked skin.

"Give in to me again, Puppet," Sephiroth breathed.

The grip he had on the blonde was much stronger than it should have been, Cloud realized. He looked up into Sephiroth's face in astonishment. Two green feline eyes glowed back at him, the pupils mere pinpoints.

"The Darkness," Cloud grunted. He struggled under the weight of the taller man in vain. His wrists were caught in Sephiroth's inhumanly strong grip and pinned to the ground. "You can't let it take you, Seph! You have to fight it!"

Sephiroth leaned down until he was nose to nose with the blonde. His silver hair fell over his ears, brushing Cloud's mud-streaked face. The green eyes glowed brighter.

"I don't want to fight it," he whispered before diving down to crush his mouth against Cloud's. His kiss was cruel, forcing Cloud's lips open for full access. He left no part of Cloud's mouth untouched, tasting every bit he could reach. He dimly remembered the sounds Cloud had made while in the hangar with Leon, and he pulled away long enough to hiss in the blonde's ear, "We can be as loud as we want here. Go ahead and scream, Puppet."

Cloud let loose an angry roar and wrenched a hand free. His elbow came up swiftly and smashed into Sephiroth's face. The silver-haired man rolled off the smaller man, clutching his bleeding nose.

…Bleeding?

"Cloud?" Sephiroth said uncertainly, looking down at his bloody fingers in confusion. He blinked slowly, his muddy hair sticking to his cheeks. "What…what did I…?"

Cloud rose to his feet and swiped the hair from Sephiroth's face to inspect his eyes. Clear green, no glowing. The blonde sighed in relief.

"Your other side made an appearance," he said grimly, letting the silver hair fall back and standing up straight.

"No," Sephiroth whispered, fisting his hands in the mud beneath him. "Oh, no, please…no."

"Calm down," Cloud barked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Sephiroth registered the gesture and turned pale under the dirt and blood coating his face. "Please tell me I didn't…" He dropped his head in his hands. "Did I?"

Cloud remained silent, watching the man kneeling in the mud whisper over and over, "Did I?"

* * *

Sephiroth was confined to his room for the remainder of the day, not by force, but by his own decision. Behind the thin walls of his bedroom, what used to be Cloud's bedroom, the room that still smelled of the blonde, Sephiroth could hear the others discussing him in the common room. He couldn't make out their words, but he could hear the steady rise and fall of Cloud's voice explaining the situation. The soft, firm response from Leon. The concerned note of Aerith's. The shock and surprise of Tifa and Yuffie, the anger of Cid. The low rumble of Vincent.

Voices rose in a heated argument; hands were slammed on tabletops. Sephiroth counted the cracks in his ceiling again. Still seven. He closed his eyes and sighed.

He didn't need Cloud to tell him what he'd done in the garden. Sephiroth remembered, if such a dreamlike recollection could be called remembering. It was exactly like the dreams he had when he wasn't in control of his actions, trapped in his own body.

He lifted his fingertips to his lips and rested them there a moment.

Cloud…

Did love turn all people into killers?

And did he really love Cloud, or was it just the sick fascination that his Dark side held for the blonde that made him feel this way? Sephiroth remembered the fight against the thieves the night before and the unholy rage he'd felt when Cloud was attacked. The feeling was so powerful, it had paralyzed him. Made him weak and useless. That is, until his attentions were turned on that bandit, Locke, and all the anger he felt had been channeled there.

Sephiroth wondered how many details Cloud was telling the others in the common room. Would he tell them about that disgusting, forceful kiss? What would they think of him then?

He sighed; Leon was definitely not going to let him work with the crew _now._

Oh, shit. _Leon._ The man will kill me, Sephiroth thought in a panic. He'll come in here with a big knife and cut me into pieces for what I did. And he would be completely within his rights.

Sephiroth rolled over onto his stomach with another sigh. He knew he should probably feel jealous of Leon for being with Cloud (_his_ Cloud, something in his mind hissed) but he felt nothing but respect for the crew leader. Sephiroth even felt grateful for Leon; the man had loved and cared for Cloud for all those years…

_Kept him safe for me,_ the voice in his brain said again.

"Shut up," Sephiroth whispered to himself. "I'm not listening to you."

_But I _am_ you._

"No." He buried his face in his pillow and repeated, "No, no, no."

"Why all the negatives, my boy?" a voice from his doorway, not his mind, said.

Sephiroth turned his head slowly in astonishment. "Merlin?"

The wizard tugged on his long white beard and adjusted his tiny eyeglasses. "I've just returned from the King's castle," he said. "I received word of an urgent matter here in Radiant Garden."

Sephiroth was on his feet in moments, pleading with the mage. "You have to help me, Merlin. I feel the Darkness creeping back into my mind. And today in the garden, I…"

"Yes, I know," Merlin said, holding up a thin gnarled hand. "Even as far away as Yen Sid's study, we detected a shift in the balance between Light and Dark." His bushy white eyebrows rose on his forehead. "But you're sure you wish to fight it? It will be a hard battle."

"I'm sure," Sephiroth said, fisting his hands at his sides. "I can't go back to being the monster I see in my dreams. I won't."

Merlin regarded him silently for a few minutes, his old bent frame making it difficult to look up into the tall man's eyes. "It's quite natural for Light and Dark to struggle against each other," the wizard said at length. "That's the way things have been for eons."

"Even so, I refuse to go back to the Darkness." Sephiroth cut his hand through the air. "If I'm only a tool for the Dark forces, then why did fate bring me here and make me human? No, I'll fight to keep my heart," he said, "as damaged though it may be."

Merlin's eyes lit up with joy. "That's what I wanted to hear," he chortled. "A fighter, through and through, that's what you are. Even though you have no magic left to make you strong."

Sephiroth's head dropped wearily. "It's true I'm not as strong as I once was. I have no idea how to fight off the Darkness within me when I can barely hold back the thoughts that it leaks into my head."

"Don't worry, my boy. I have a plan, as usual," Merlin assured him, patting him on the arm. "Two denizens of the Light have been assigned to you by the King. They will teach you how to fight the Darkness, both inside and outside your mind. The Dark forces are very powerful," the wizard muttered, his eyes darting along the floor. "If they consume you…"

"Then what?" Sephiroth prompted.

Merlin looked up at him wide-eyed, his moustache twitching under his nose. "Hm? Oh, nothing to concern yourself with now. First, prepare yourself for your new protectors."

"When will they arrive?" Sephiroth asked, eager to meet warriors of the Light.

Merlin consulted a strange device on his wrist that wasn't quite a watch. "Oh, in four, three, two…"

Sephiroth felt the room around him shimmer and disappear, and suddenly he was standing with Merlin by the small lake he had emerged from all that time ago.

"One," the wizard said, dropping his wrist to look up at the sky.

Sephiroth followed his gaze. Twin streaks of fire lit up the afternoon sky, burning down to the earth like comets. With a loud boom, the two falling stars hit the surface of the pond, splashing water everywhere. Steam rose in columns, and Sephiroth squinted to watch two forms rise up.

"Couldn't you just have zapped us here with normal magic, Merlin?" a young voice said, sputtering with pond water.

"You know how he likes dramatic entrances," an older, deeper voice answered.

The two warriors stepped out of the warm mist and…Sephiroth had to adjust his gaze slightly downward. His eyes widened. These two were children, barely old enough to shave let alone defeat the Darkness.

"Hi ya!" the one with the spiky brown hair said, waving cheerfully. "Long time no see, Sephiroth."

"We got the King's message in a bottle, Merlin," the silver-haired one said, brushing himself off. "Pleased to meet you," he said with a nod to Sephiroth.

"What…?" Sephiroth couldn't manage the rest.

"Sephiroth, this is Sora and Riku," Merlin said, pointing to each young man respectively. "They're hardened soldiers of the King. When all seems lost, these two will help you."

"Is it lunchtime yet? I'm starved," the one called Sora complained.

Sephiroth's eye twitched imperceptibly.


	11. Remembering

WARNINGS: a little shonen-ai here. One-sided RikuxSora and...dirty!Sephiroth. Plot is really coming together here. Enjoy!

Suggested listening: Taking Back Sunday. "Slowdance on the Inside"

Suggested beverage: Sprite

* * *

"_These_ are my mentors?" Sephiroth asked, his tone betraying his dismal outlook on the whole situation. The brunette one was chewing _gum_.

"Well, whadidya expect?" Sora blew a large pink bubble that snapped loudly in the air. He chewed it back into his mouth and said around the sugary mass, "We're the best in the Kingdom."

"Just because we're kids doesn't mean we're weak," Riku said, leaning against a tree and being decidedly more dignified than his shorter counterpart. "Between the two of us, we've dispatched more Heartless than anyone." He gave a little smirk. "We're good."

"You'll find their hearts are strong," Merlin assured Sephiroth, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Their methods may be a bit, erm, unorthodox at times, but I can say in the fullest of confidence—"

Sora flung his hands in the air, causing a flowering vine growing above his head to shed pollen everywhere. "We kick ass and chew bubble gum," he shouted. "And I think this is my last piece of gum." He took the pink wad from his mouth and looked at it quizzically. "Lost its taste, too."

"You two don't even have weapons," Sephiroth pointed out. "How great can you be?"

In an instant, both boys raised their hands aloft and two blades appeared in a cloud of shimmering light. The shorter boy's sword was brightly colored and seemed to glow from its many deadly edges. The silver-haired boy had a darker looking weapon that looked like it had been forged with both angel and devil wings.

"You carry Keyblades?" Sephiroth whispered in astonishment. "Then you are both Bearers?"

"Yeah, crazy world, huh?" Sora laughed, and his Keyblade dissipated into thin air.

Riku's sword followed suit. "If you can't stand the thought of a couple of kids teaching you how to control your Darkness," he said, "then just say so, and we'll leave."

"But Riku," Sora hissed, "the King said we had to…"

"Can't teach someone who won't learn," Riku said, eyeing Sephiroth smugly. "So what do you say? Are you ready or not?"

Sephiroth glanced at Merlin, who was nodding enthusiastically under his pointy blue hat.

"I suppose…" he said carefully.

"Great!" Sora gave a rousing thumbs-up and grinned widely. "We should start practicing right away."

"We'll need to go somewhere private," Riku said. "We heard your…situation here in Radiant Garden is a little precarious."

"Hey, let's go up to Crystal Fissure," Sora suggested. "There's plenty of space and no one will bother us. Besides," he gave Sephiroth a friendly jab in the shoulder as he passed, "that's where we last fought. Man, what a battle!"

"You mean…where I died?" Sephiroth asked.

"Well, technically it's where you disappeared into the ether," Riku corrected, walking past him as well. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, right?"

"Come on, Seph!" Sora called over his shoulder, vanishing from view in the thick forest. "Can I call you Seph? Seems like a good nickname."

Sephiroth gave Merlin one last pleading glance, but the wizard just shooed him in the direction of the two boy heroes. He had no choice but to follow.

* * *

"…And so me and Riku come home after miraculously saving not just our home world, but the entire _universe_, and does anyone even notice?" Sora chatted, kicking a small pebble out of his path. Sephiroth sighed; this trek up to the Fissure sure was arduous. "Our parents didn't even believe us when we told them about all the different worlds and stuff. And they didn't remember the Heartless attacking," the boy continued. "They just said we had vivid imaginations and grounded us for running away. Can you believe it? I save all of existence, but I don't get dessert for three months." He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "But at least Riku and Kairi remember what happened, or else I would think I was going nuts." Sora let out a laugh. "I wish you could meet Kairi. You'd really like her, Seph."

Riku's slight grimace did not go unnoticed to Sephiroth's keen eye.

"You speak as if your quest hasn't been over very long," Sephiroth said, his brow furrowed. "But I was told two years have passed since my…disappearance."

"Time moves differently in different worlds," Riku spoke up. He was far ahead the other two on the path, his silver hair shining in the sunlight. "Very little time had passed for those on Destiny Islands. And yet, when we returned looking older, no one seemed to notice." He turned his head to warn, "The mind is easily tricked."

"Yes," Sephiroth said quietly. "I'm aware."

"Here we are," Sora announced, leading Sephiroth through one last icy corridor. A flat plateau opened up before them, offering an unobstructed view of the city below. "Kind of pretty, isn't it?"

"It's breathtaking," Sephiroth said, walking to the edge of the cliff and looking at the sight below. His muscles twitched and his mind felt like something was itching at the back of his memories… "This is where I stood?" he asked.

"Yeah, watching Cloud, day in, day out." Sora snorted. "Your eyesight was something else. You could've picked out a moth on another world if you wanted."

"Sephiroth may not want to be reminded of the past, Sora," Riku said softly.

"No, please, it's fine." Sephiroth turned to the young man with silvery hair at his side. He had a swallow a gasp when he looked into the boy's eyes. They were deep, swirling pools of aqua, much like his own had appeared in old photographs. They were eyes that had seen Darkness. "You…" Sephiroth reached forward and gently lifted a jagged lock of long silver hair from where it lay on the boy's brow. "You look like you could be my brother."

"We share a common thread," Riku said firmly. "But I promise you, we're not related by blood."

Sephiroth gave a sigh of relief. "The events of today have been traumatic enough without the appearance of long-lost kin," he said.

"Agreed," the young man said in his gravelly voice. "Shall we begin with your training?"

Sephiroth's hand instinctively went to his belt. "I have no weapon," he said, patting the empty space there in realization. "And I doubt I could wield one of your Keyblades."

"Yeah, it'd pop right out of your hand the second you touched it." Sora nodded.

"I want to start with mental training anyway. Sora," Riku said to the other boy, "would you mind going to Leon's and finding three strips of cloth? And get Sephiroth's sword while you're there."

"Are you kidding?" The spiky-headed kid's jaw dropped. "After I walked all that way?"

"It'll take you ten minutes," his friend argued. "Maybe less."

"That a challenge?" Sora asked, smiling brightly.

Riku merely held up his wrist to glance at his watch. "Starting now."

The young Keyblade Bearer was off with a shout, running at top speed back down the dusty path. Sephiroth watched him go, wondering at his boundless energy.

"He's certainly a cheerful young man," Sephiroth commented.

Riku turned around to stare out over the city, his hands clasped behind his back. "He's the love of my life," he said in a monotone. Sephiroth whirled around to frown at the other boy. Riku dipped his head down, his long silver locks moving like metallic feathers against the back of his neck. "And though I love him more than anything, his heart doesn't belong to me. It belongs to someone else."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sephiroth whispered.

Riku sighed and closed his eyes. "You're not the only one who can't have what you want. It happens to thousands of people all around the universe." The boy opened his eerie blue eyes and gazed at Sephiroth. "So what? Are you going to hand your heart over to the Darkness because you're hurting? Cry me a river."

Sephiroth's hands fisted at his sides, shaking with rage. "You insolent little…" He took a deep breath before continuing, "You think your little teenage romance compares to my feelings for Cloud? You have no idea what it feels like for your heart to cry out for someone that _hates_ everything you are, everything you've done."

Riku's hands fell from the pockets of his baggy pants, and his Way of Dawn Keyblade appeared in his left hand. "You think I'm insolent?" He slashed his Keyblade through the air as if casually testing its weight. "When you've been used as a tool to hurt those you love, when you've wandered the Darkness alone, searching for your Light, when you've fought and _bled_ alongside your love at the end of the world, when you've done all these things and kept yourself sane," he scoffed, "then you can call me insolent. But until then, you can listen. And learn."

The boy walked away from the edge of the plateau and sat languidly in the red dirt, his blade shimmering out of sight.

"Everyone has Darkness within them," he continued quietly. "It's just a matter of whether or not you can live with it."

"Perhaps I shouldn't live with it," Sephiroth sighed, still looking down at the rooftops below. "Perhaps I shouldn't live at all."

"No!" Riku shouted, grabbing his arm faster than Sephiroth could blink. With inhuman strength, the boy thrust him back onto the solid ground. Sephiroth stumbled and fell, blinking up at Riku as he lay there on his back in the dust. "You cannot sacrifice your life!" the boy snarled in his face. "You think your pain is so great? Have you even considered what your death would mean?"

Sephiroth thought about Aerith, the kind healer that had taken him under her wing like a sister, like a mother. How she would cry…

"I suppose a few people in this world would miss me," Sephiroth conceded.

"I'm not talking about that," Riku said with an exasperated sigh. He bent over Sephiroth, aqua eyes glaring into green. "I'm talking about what the Darkness would do with your Nobody."

Sephiroth shook his head. "What?"

"Look, no one's really sure how you reappeared in Radiant Garden," Riku said. "There's a possibility that the Light wanted to give you a second chance, like what happened with a girl named Aerith many years ago. But it could be that the Darkness wants to drive you off the edge so that your Nobody, which will be nearly invincible, can rise up and take over the Dark Forces." The boy stood up straight, stuffing his hands in his pockets once more. "If that happens, we're all dead. The balance is destroyed, and Darkness wins at last. Is that what you want?"

Sephiroth glared up at him, but stayed silent.

"Hey guys," Sora called cautiously, approaching them with his hands full of the items he was sent to find. "Is everything okay? I was only gone for a few minutes."

"Just explaining some things to our student here," Riku replied, keeping an eye on the man in question. "Did you get the cloth?"

"Yeah, Yuffie had some scraps." Sora held up the three strips of soft black cloth. "These good enough?"

The silver-haired boy took one piece from his friend's hand and knelt beside Sephiroth. "I'm going to blindfold you," he explained as if talking to a child. "It will help you focus."

"Absolutely not," Sephiroth protested, batting away the piece of fabric that Riku tried to raise to his face. "I can just close my eyes and concentrate."

Riku sighed. "Trust me. This is going to be more effective." He gestured to Sora standing behind him. "We'll both be blindfolded too. It'll be better for confronting some of your memories."

Sephiroth looked up at the young Keyblade Bearer with the spiky hair that reminded him of Cloud, and Sora smiled at him reassuringly. "We're here to help," he promised.

Sephiroth sighed and submitted to Riku's ministrations. The boy folded the dark cloth over his eyes and tied it securely behind his head. Not a stray bit of light could be seen through the blindfold. Nervous, Sephiroth lifted the edge between his thumb and forefinger and watched the two boys put on their own blindfolds.

"No peeking," Sora admonished, and he let the cloth fall back in place. He could hear Riku and Sora sit on the ground on either side of him in a small circle.

"Take off your gloves, Sora," Riku said. The rustling sounds of two pairs of gloves falling to the dirt echoed in Sephiroth's ears. "Skin to skin is going to be best."

"Skin?" Sephiroth said in alarm. Then he felt the young boys' hands slipping into his own. Sora's smaller, callused hand slipped into his right and Riku's long, tapered fingers grasped onto his left.

"We're going to lend you some of our strength," Sora whispered, his voice more serious than it'd been all day.

"Don't be afraid," Riku said. "If you find the Darkness in your memories, we'll help you fight it."

"What should I do?" Sephiroth asked, feeling the two boys squeeze his hands reassuringly.

"Just relax. Try to clear your mind." Riku's voice seemed to grow distant even though Sephiroth still held the youth's hand in his. In the blackness that swarmed in front of his eyes, Sephiroth imagined he could feel himself in two places: one part of him sat in the dirt on Crystal Fissure, and the other part was in a very dark place, a maze of unlit hallways. Sephiroth's breathing quickened; was he in his memories?

Shivering in that cold corridor of his mind, Sephiroth felt two familiar hands on his back, gently urging him forward.

"Don't be afraid," Riku repeated.

"We're right here with you," Sora said.

"What will I see in this place?" Sephiroth asked, his voice echoing against the black walls.

"Let's find out together." Riku's strong hand propelled him further into the dark hall. "Just remember, none of it is real. It's all in your head."

Sephiroth stepped forward, taking the twisting halls one step at a time. He could feel the warm presence of the two Keyblade Bearers at his back, offering silent support. Trying to keep his bearings, Sephiroth stuck to the left wall and followed it until…he became irretrievably lost.

"Is this how all minds are organized?" he sighed in frustration. "I can't see anything in this pitch black."

"Riku's mind is more of a grey color," Sora offered.

"And Sora's looks more like a candy store than a working brain," Riku said dryly.

In the overwhelming blackness, Sephiroth felt more than saw Sora give Riku a light whap to the back of his head. "You've explored each other's minds?" he asked.

Riku seemed to shift uncomfortably while Sora gushed, "Yeah, when we returned home we started doing it to remind ourselves that our memories were real. Riku was good at leading me through all this mental stuff. It's pretty cool."

"Look up there," Riku interrupted. Sephiroth squinted in the dark, seeing a tiny pinpoint of light ahead. He strode towards it, feeling more confident now. After walking for a few minutes, he finally reached the small speck.

"A keyhole," Sephiroth murmured, bending down to inspect the waist-high light. "This must be a door."

"Doors are meant to be opened," Sora stated with surety. "Go for it."

Sephiroth's hand scrambled in the darkness, finally finding a doorknob. He took a deep breath and turned it, pushing the creaky door open.

He blinked. After wandering the dark halls for a small eternity, this bright room hurt his eyes. He held up a hand to shield himself from the blinding light.

"Hey Seph," a gentle voice called to him from within the room. "You finally made it."

Sephiroth lowered his hand, squinting at the dark shape leaning against the wall of his memory. "Zack…?" he gasped, recognizing the wild black hair.

The uniformed man gave him a little salute. "Good to see you again, buddy," he said with a smile. "I've been waiting for you."

Sephiroth turned to look behind his shoulder at Riku and Sora, but he couldn't see anything in that impenetrable gloom. "He's not real?" he asked into the blackness.

"This is your memory of him," Riku's voice answered. "He's here to guide you."

"Don't be afraid," Zack said, clapping a hand over Sephiroth's shoulder.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" he wondered aloud. "What's here to be afraid of?"

"Me."

The voice came from behind Sephiroth, where Riku and Sora should have been. But instead when he turned around, a tall, black-clad figure came striding through the doorway, long silver hair swinging back and forth.

Sephiroth's eyes widened. It was himself, from the past. The General…

"Riku?" he called, looking around the room. "Sora? What is this? Where are you?"

"Concentrate," Zack whispered into his ear. "You have to be strong against Him."

A black gloved hand snaked out and grabbed hold of Sephiroth's chin, forcing him to look into Mako green eyes. His Dark self chuckled.

"You're so weak now," it muttered, threading long fingers through shorter silver locks and wrenching them painfully. "Look what you've done to yourself."

"This isn't real," Sephiroth whispered. "This can't hurt me."

"That's it, Seph," Zack encouraged, his voice sounding far away now. "Don't let him scare you."

"Yes, don't let me scare you," the Other Sephiroth mocked, shoving him backward. Sephiroth fell to the floor, though he couldn't see a floor in the bright white room. The General towered over him, a monster in black leather. "I'm just a dream. I couldn't possibly harm anything," he continued to scoff.

Sephiroth froze as he felt the Dark memory crawl on top of him. Long pale fingers, just like his own, were searching under his shirt, nails biting into his flesh. He was pressed down under the Other's weight, immobile. Helpless.

"I couldn't possibly harm _Cloud_," the General sneered.

"Leave him alone," Sephiroth whispered shakily. "Don't you dare touch him."

The Dark one tilted his head, spilling long silver hair over Sephiroth's face. "Look who's giving orders now," it mused. The slotted eyes glowed fiercely, and Sephiroth felt a harsh mouth pressing against his own.

_Zack! Riku! Sora!_ His mind screamed for help against this unstoppable force. Tears tracked down his temples from the corners of his tightly shut eyes. Sephiroth tried to turn his head to get away from the kiss, but hands covered in leather held his face steady. A tongue that tasted of dried blood forced its way past his lips, making him whimper. _Help me!_

"Get the hell away from him!" Riku roared, swinging his Keyblade at the attacker. The Dark Sephiroth, jolted by the blow, snarled at the boy.

"It's okay, we've got him," Sora said, readying his own weapon and boxing the enemy in. The General merely smirked and, with a gesture, disappeared into thin air.

Sephiroth looked around the room blearily, spitting on the ground to get the iron taste out of his mouth. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Time to get out of here, Seph," Zack said. "I'm sorry I couldn't help more."

Everything went away.

Sephiroth tore the blindfold from his eyes, gasping for air. He was back in Crystal Fissure, sitting on solid ground. "What happened in there?" he choked.

The two Keyblade Bearers removed their own blindfolds, revealing troubled eyes.

"Your other side was very strong," Riku said. "It took awhile for us to get past his barriers to help you."

"Sorry," Sora apologized. "Are you okay?"

Sephiroth glanced over his body as if trying to decide whether he was really there or not. "I'm not hurt," he said slowly, still panting for breath. "I just feel…" He hung his head. "He's all-powerful. I couldn't even lift a hand to try and stop him. How do I defeat something like that?"

"This was only our first time trying," Sora said. "Next time we'll be more prepared for it. It might take awhile, but we'll find a way."

Riku cast a glance towards the katana on the ground that Sora had fetched. "Don't suppose you feel up for a little physical training?" he asked.

Sephiroth shook his head.

"Don't worry," the brunette youth assured. "We have time."

An expression of doubt passed over Riku's face, but he only said, "Yes, let's get some rest."

* * *

They returned to the brownstone with Sephiroth dragging his feet the whole way. He was not looking forward to confronting the crew; he hadn't spoken to them since the incident in the garden with Cloud. And he was not excited to tell them what Riku and Sora had dug out of his memories.

He opened the front door slowly, like an errant child sneaking in after curfew. The common room looked empty, and he sighed in relief. He led Sora and Riku into the house, and then heard a noise from the kitchen. He turned to see Aerith wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She was crying.

"Oh, Seph," she said, flinging herself at the taller man. Sephiroth stood shocked at her warm embrace. "I thought maybe you weren't ever coming home."

"I…" He wrapped his arms carefully around her.

"I'm so sorry!" Aerith cried suddenly, hugging him tighter. "If I hadn't made you dress up like your old self, maybe these memories wouldn't have surfaced. Maybe…"

"No, don't cry," Sephiroth whispered gently. "It was my idea. And something was bound to trigger my memories sooner or later. Don't blame yourself."

"Still." Aerith sniffed, wiping her face with her hand. "I can't stand the thought of you being tormented like this."

"Don't worry. Sora and Riku are here to help." Sephiroth gestured to the two boys standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Everything's under control," he lied.

Sora gave her a little wave and a watery grin. Riku didn't even make eye contact, shuffling his feet against the carpet. Sephiroth sighed; this was going to be a long journey.


	12. Breaking

Suggested listening: 30 Seconds to Mars. "A Beautiful Lie"

Suggested beverage: orange juice

* * *

Sephiroth put down the book he was attempting to read and stretched his arms above his head. It was late at night, and he was sitting in bed. He'd managed to avoid all the crew members with the exception of Aerith. The girl had scolded him for skipping dinner, but truth be told, Sephiroth didn't think he could eat anyway. That horrible metallic taste of blood seemed to linger in his mouth, though it was nothing more than a memory.

He'd lost his appetite for sure.

However, it did allow him to put off seeing Cloud and Leon for one more day. He didn't know how he could look either of them in the eye and apologize. How do you say sorry for something that's inside you, anyway?

There was a knock on his door, and Sephiroth's heart skipped a beat. Could that be them, ready to tell him to pack up and get out of town? He dragged a hand through his loose silver hair and called, "It's open."

Riku stood in his doorway dressed in flannel sleep pants and a plain t-shirt. "Just wanted to check on you before bed," the boy said. "You had a rough day."

"Thank you for your concern," Sephiroth said, placing his half-read book on the bedside table. "But I believe I'll be okay." He could hardly keep the sarcasm out of his voice. Imagine, a mere boy treating him like a child.

The Keyblade Bearer scratched the back of his head, grimacing a little. "I want to say sorry for what happened today. I should have known what kind of danger was lurking in your mind before jumping in."

Sephiroth shrugged. "How could you have known? I barely understand it myself," he said. He eyed the boy's sleeping clothes. "It's late. Aren't you tired?"

Riku gave a small bark of laughter. "Yes, but Sora took up the whole couch in the common room and he's snoring away like a baby. So I guess I'll be crashing on the floor," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"You could wake him up and make him move," Sephiroth suggested.

Riku gazed at the floor, his pale cheeks coloring slightly. "No, he needs his rest. I…I'm used to sleeping on the ground anyway."

"You're a very noble young man," Sephiroth said, giving him a little smile. "I'm sorry for the disparaging remarks I made about you earlier."

Riku gave a shrug. "It's fine."

"You must love him very much," Sephiroth whispered.

The boy turned his focus to the doorframe, picking away flecks of paint with his fingers. "It's not…" He swallowed, his voice thick. "It's not something I can _control_. If I could stop it…"

"I know," Sephiroth said. "I know exactly what you mean."

"I just can't understand why I feel this way when it's so useless." Riku's shoulders slumped, and he gave up peeling paint. "Sometimes I feel adrift. Like a boat that's lost its sails."

Sephiroth considered the young man in the doorway for a moment and then flipped back the covers on his bed in invitation. "Brothers should look out for each other," he said simply. "Come here."

Riku hesitated for a moment, one hand still holding the doorjamb. But he finally stepped forward and slipped under the sheets next to Sephiroth. The older man reached over him to turn off the bedside lamp, and they lay in the quiet darkness.

The bed was small, and Sephiroth could feel Riku shaking beside him. It took a minute for him to realize that the boy wasn't cold or scared; he was trying to keep his sobs silent. In the dim light, Sephiroth could see tears tracking down his pale face, his aqua eyes fixed on the ceiling. His heart clenched in sympathy. The boy was barely more than a child, and he had so much responsibility on his young shoulders.

"Riku," he said, wiping the boy's tears away with his thumb. "You don't have to be strong all the time. Even Keyblade Masters can cry."

Riku did let loose a soft sob then and buried his face in the crook of Sephiroth's neck. Sephiroth felt the hot tears soaking the front of his pajama top, and he held the young man in his arms, offering wordless comfort. Soon he felt his own eyes tearing up, and after awhile, it wasn't quite clear who was holding who. He stroked Riku's soft hair, and the boy rubbed circles on his tense back. He placed a tender kiss on the boy's forehead, and Riku caught his tears on his knuckles and wiped them away.

Exhausted, the two silver-haired warriors fell asleep with their limbs tangled and their hands clutching at each other.

* * *

"Well, don't you two look cozy!" a peppy voice said. Sephiroth groaned, his eyelids sticking together with sleep as he tried to peer at his early-morning visitor. "I found him, Sora," Yuffie shouted, waving down the hall.

"Must you be so loud at this time of day?" Sephiroth mumbled, shifting slightly under the covers. His eyes snapped wide open as he realized he still held a sleeping Riku in his arms. The boy's head was pillowed on his shoulder and he was drooling a bit. Sephiroth's gaze whipped back to the doorway to see Yuffie replaced by an uncomfortable-looking Sora. He was still wearing his boxers and sleeping shirt, his brown hair mussed.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," the boy said, his eyes riveted to his best friend's sleeping form. "I just woke up and didn't see Riku anywhere, so…"

"I told him he could sleep here since there weren't any free beds," Sephiroth said quickly. "I promise you, nothing…_untoward _happened. He was just tired." He extracted his arm from underneath Riku, jostling the boy.

Riku yawned and blinked his strange aqua eyes at Sephiroth. "Morning already?" he asked in a sleepy grumble.

Sora's face transformed into a huge grin, and he leapt on top of his friend. "Wake up, lazy bones!" he howled, bouncing up and down on the bed. "We've got lots to do."

"Sora!" Riku sputtered, putting up his hands to defend himself from the brunette boy's flailing arms. "Stop it! You'll break the bed."

"Like you need the help, _Riku_," Sora laughed, drawing his friend's name out like a punch line. "If you get any taller and heavier, you'll be breaking furniture left and right."

Riku slid out from under the shorter boy, effectively climbing out of the little bed. "Whatever. I'm taking a shower," he mumbled, stalking out of the bedroom.

Sephiroth watched Sora's face closely; the boy tracked Riku like a hawk as he left, and then Sora gave a little sigh.

"He's not really a morning person," the spiky-haired boy said, shrugging sheepishly at Sephiroth. "Ready for some sword training today, Seph?" he asked, plastering a perky smile on his lips.

"That'll be fine," Sephiroth said carefully, watching the Keyblade Bearer's tight expression closely. "Is everything all right, Sora?"

"Yeah. Of course." The boy put a hand behind his head and laughed self-consciously. "Everything will be perfect," he said with a smile, "as soon as we get some breakfast!"

With a loud whoop, Sora jumped from the bed and sped off towards the kitchen. Sephiroth got out of bed more sedately and looked after the boy, a thoughtful frown on his lips.

* * *

"Okay, do it again," Sora said, waving his gloved hand towards himself in a welcoming gesture. "This time try coming at me from the other side. That might be better since you're left-handed."

Sephiroth wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow and adjusted his grip on his katana. They'd been at this for hours, sparring in the forest. While yesterday's mental exercises had been presided over mainly by Riku, these training sessions were Sora's expertise. The brunette had been drilling Sephiroth relentlessly all morning. Riku mostly lounged on a wide tree limb nearby, only offering a word of advice every so often.

Sephiroth readied his weapon and charged at Sora as instructed, but the boy parried his attack with ease. Soon, the powerful Keyblade knocked the sword from his hands. Sephiroth sighed; this was getting a little tedious.

"Don't get frustrated," Sora said, noticing his tired groan. "You're doing really well for what little practice you've had. You're a natural at this."

"I'm just worried that I won't be good enough when the time comes," Sephiroth grunted, picking his sword up from the grass.

"Maybe if you could see the move in action…" Sora thought out loud before waving to the silver-haired boy in the tree. "Hey Riku, can you come down here for a second?"

Riku slid gracefully to the ground, his Keyblade shimmering into his hand. "What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Come at me from this side," Sora motioned, "and try to get me to lose some ground. Seph, stand over there so you can see how to get someone into a corner, okay?"

At first, Riku swiped his sword at his friend as if in slow motion so that Sora could call out to Sephiroth, "See what he's doing here?" or "Now look, right, then left." Then the attacks came faster and faster. Sora had to abandon his running commentary to keep up his guard, grunting with the effort of blocking Riku's thrusts. Soon the fight passed the point of demonstration and became an earnest battle. Both boys were rolling, dodging or leaping over each other, always failing to land a hit. Finally, Sora managed to sweep Riku's legs out from under him with a low kick. Riku responded by twisting his feet around Sora's ankle, bringing him down as well. Then there was a small scuffle on the forest floor which ended with two Keyblades pressed against both their throats.

Sora blinked down at Riku, who was on his back with the brunette sprawled on top of him. Their panting breaths ghosted against each other's cheeks. Riku's aqua eyes stared back at his friend, his weapon never wavering. Sora cleared his throat and carefully clambered to his feet. He glanced at Sephiroth, who was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest, a curious eyebrow raised.

"That…was a little advanced," Sora said nervously, "but you get the idea."

"I didn't quite see the whole thing," Sephiroth said dryly. "Could you do it again?"

"Very funny," Riku mumbled, pushing himself off the ground, his Keyblade disappearing from his hand. He turned and headed towards the town, his hands fisted at his sides. "I'm thirsty. I'm going to get some water."

"Riku—" Sora reached a hand out in the other boy's direction, but Riku just stormed off without acknowledging him. Sora sighed, watching the bright yellow vest disappear between the trees. "Wow, is _he_ crabby today," the boy sighed, dropping his hand back to his side.

"Maybe you should go speak with him," Sephiroth suggested.

"I don't know. Every time I try to cheer him up, his mood gets worse." Sora shook his head. "I wish I knew what was wrong."

"Perhaps instead of trying to lighten his spirits, you should ask him what the problem is," Sephiroth said, sheathing his blade. "Go ahead; I need a short rest anyway."

Sora shot him a grin. "Yeah, I bet you do. Fine, fine, I'll be right back," he called, walking backwards out of the meadow. "Hopefully with a less grumpy Riku in tow."

The boy turned and ran, and Sephiroth chuckled at his usual energy.

"You might not remember," a liquid voice said from behind him, "but I used to be like that when I was younger. Striving so hard to be a real hero."

Sephiroth whirled, his eyes widening at the man standing there, half hidden in the wild brush. "Cloud." He let out a breath. "I didn't hear you approach. You startled me."

The swordsman stepped forward, his usual black clothing sliding around his muscular form. He stood in the meadow and tilted his head a bit in acknowledgment.

"Just wanted to see how the sword practice was going," Cloud said with a shrug. "Is Sora a good teacher?"

"Yes, he is…" Sephiroth ducked his head, his face flushing suddenly. "Cloud, I haven't had a chance to apologize for what I did to you yesterday. If I make you feel uncomfortable, I'll—"

The blonde raised a gloved hand, halting his speech. "You don't have to say you're sorry. It was to be expected."

Sephiroth furrowed his brow, shaking his head in disagreement. "No, no, it shouldn't be expected. That's why I'm working so hard with Sora and Riku. I want to make sure it never happens again. I don't want you or the others to be in danger."

Cloud took a few steps forward, his heavy boots making deep impressions in the soft grass on the ground. He stood nearly eye-to-eye with Sephiroth, cupping his chin to hold his gaze.

"What if I told you I wouldn't mind if it happened again?" he asked softly, his other hand coming up to run leather-covered fingers through Sephiroth's bangs.

"What?" Sephiroth whispered, his mouth going dry. "What do you mean?"

"What if I told you," Cloud purred, leaning in closer, "that it's what I want. It's what I've been searching for all this time. That raw emotion…it's what I need." He slipped both hands into Sephiroth's hair, pulling him down towards his lips. "I need you to give it to me, Seph," he said, lips so close Sephiroth could feel them move.

"Wait. Hold on." The silver-haired man pulled away, scanning the deep blue eyes before him. "How can this be? You told me before…"

"Before. Before, I was confused. I thought maybe you were teasing me." Cloud tightened his grip on Sephiroth's hair. "You won't tease me anymore, will you? I couldn't take it…"

The blonde lunged forward, capturing Sephiroth's protests before they could be voiced. The kiss felt perfect: it began fast and growling, then slowed to a languid tasting. Sephiroth wrapped one arm around Cloud's waist, another around his shoulder. It was heaven. He wanted to feel more, taste more of this man, though his heart cried out for—

For…?

Sephiroth pulled away with a pained moan. It hurt him to release Cloud from his embrace, but he needed to ask, "What about Leon?"

Cloud shrugged, tossing his blonde spikes. "What about him?"

"I…I can't do this to him," Sephiroth moaned. "This isn't right!"

Suddenly, Sephiroth felt nimble hands running up his back and over his shoulders. Leon's voice rumbled in his ear, "I'm not an unreasonable man. I just want Cloud to be happy." His sharp teeth nipped at Sephiroth's ear, his hands traveling lower and lower down his chest. "Don't you want him to be happy, Seph?"

The other man pressed against his back, and Sephiroth could feel Leon's arousal between them. Cloud wrapped his arms around his hips, smirking.

"See?" he said. "It's all working out fine."

"But…" Sephiroth protested weakly. Leon's hands were tugging his shirt up his stomach, and Cloud was toying with the button on his pants.

"I know you were watching us fuck in the hangar," Leon hissed in his ear and licked the nape of his neck. "Did you want to be the one pinned to the wall? Is that what you dream about?"

"No," Cloud said, snapping the button of his pants open. "Seph would be the one pounding into me. Biting, snarling, torturing…doesn't that sound nice, Lee?"

Leon hummed in agreement, the sound buzzing in Sephiroth's ears like insects.

"He couldn't be so weak, though, if he wanted to bed us," the brunette swordsman said matter-of-factly. "He'd have to be strong, tireless…especially if he wanted to take you."

"Yeah." Cloud leered, his hand snaking down Sephiroth's pants. "He'd have to be," a glint in his eye, "a little _darker_."

"Stop it!" Sephiroth cried out, jerking out of Cloud and Leon's arms. He spun on them, trying to pull his clothing back into place. "This isn't like you two. This can't be real."

Leon struck quickly, his hand grabbing Sephiroth's wrist with bruising force. "Why do you keep running away from what you what?" he hissed, slamming his mouth to the silver-haired man's. Sephiroth tore away from the kiss and yanked his hand from Leon's grip.

"You're not real," he said with quiet certainty. "This is all just a trick." He moved to reach his katana, leaning against a tree, but Cloud blocked him.

"There's no pleasing you," the blonde sighed. "Why do you insist on looking a gift horse in the mouth?"

"This is no gift!" Sephiroth shouted. "You only offer lies."

The two men shimmered and disappeared like sand in the wind, and there was only one Lie left standing in the forest. The General looked up through his mass of long silver hair, his incredible Masamune sword in his hand.

"I offer you power, _Seph_," he sneered. "Anything you want could be yours."

Sephiroth shook his head. "No, you're wrong. I could never have Cloud."

The Dark memory tilted his face up to the blue sky and laughed, deep and harsh. "You limit yourself to that _thing_? You're such a disappointment." He approached slowly, his shoulder plates clinking against each other. Masamune dragged along the forest floor, creating a black furrow in the soil. "You're meant to be folded in the welcoming Darkness. That is your true place in the world. Why deny it?"

"I want to keep my heart," Sephiroth stated, standing his ground even though he was unarmed.

"Your heart?" The General chuckled, slashing a deep semicircle in the ground around his feet. "Your poor excuse for a heart will fail and the Darkness will take you, one way or another." He flashed his long white teeth in a semblance of a smile. "Why not make it easier for the people you care for? They'll be crushed by the Darkness trying to keep you safe if you don't."

"That's not true," Sephiroth said. "If the Darkness comes, I'll be ready."

"If? _If_?" The Other raised his fist in the air, and bolts of lightning whirled around his gloved hand. His Mako eyes flared. "The Darkness is already coming for you."

The electricity hit Sephiroth full force in his chest, and he saw in his mind's eye the truth: The Dark Forces were coming. They had nearly reached Radiant Garden. Sephiroth saw the swarming masses coming together. Heartless, Nobodies, Dark Ones, monsters and greedy men in one black tidal wave, ready to crash down on Radiant Garden's shores. Not just a thousand. Millions. Unstoppable.

Sephiroth didn't hear his own scream.

* * *

"Wait up, Riku!" Sora called, panting with the effort of catching up with the older boy. It had only been a few minutes since he left the forest at Sephiroth's urging, and Riku was proving difficult to pin down. "I want to talk to you."

Riku didn't slow or stop, still heading for the brownstone. But he did give Sora a glance as the smaller boy reached his side. "Go ahead. Talk."

Sora sighed. "I was kind of hoping you'd talk to _me_," he said. "What's been bothering you? You've been snappish towards me all day."

"Sorry," Riku drawled. "Didn't know I wasn't allowed to have a bad day once in awhile."

"Stop being this way!" Sora cried in frustration. "I'm the one that should be mad with you!"

"Me?" Riku stopped walking then, planting his hands on his hips. "What the hell did I do?"

"You…you…" Sora's face flushed slightly, and he mumbled, "You weren't there when I woke up, and I was sleepy still and I'd had that bad dream where I can't find you, and I just got…" He sighed. "A little worried."

Riku deflated at the sight of Sora toeing his shoe at a cobblestone. "I'm sorry, Sora. I didn't realize you still had those dreams."

The shorter Keyblade Bearer shrugged, his hands clasped behind his back. "They stopped awhile ago; this is the first one I've had in weeks." He peeked up at the taller boy through his messy brown hair. "It might help if I knew you were close by, you know, while I'm sleeping. I could sleep on the floor in the common room and you could take the couch. Unless you want to go, um, share with Sephiroth again…"

Riku gave a small grin and placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "We can both fit on the couch, one on either end. I don't mind."

"Good," Sora said with a brilliant smile. "I like it when you're close by, Riku."

The silver-haired boy glanced down at his shoes, a frown marring his face. "Sora, I…"

Both boys' heads snapped up as a piercing scream echoed through the streets.

"That came from the woods," Sora breathed.

"Sephiroth." The Keyblades appeared in their hands, and they took off towards the horrible sound.


	13. Bracing

Author's Note: Whee! So many great reviews. Thank you everyone. After this chapter, it's time for the big shoot out at Radiant Garden. So the story's nearly done! Enjoy.

Suggested listening: Muse. "Blackout"

Suggested beverage: Coke

* * *

"Seph!" Sora cried, running to the man on the ground. He was lying motionless on his side, his clothes smoking faintly. The Keyblade Bearer knelt beside him and reached for his shoulder, but pulled his hand away with a hiss. "He's hot, like he's on fire," Sora said, looking up at Riku.

The older boy unzipped his vest and slid it off his shoulders, using it as a sort of potholder in his hands. He gently shook Sephiroth's arm.

"Wake up," Riku said softly. "Come on, tell us what happened."

Sephiroth's green eyes opened slowly and a groan escaped his lips.

"That's it," Sora encouraged. "Who did this to you?"

Sephiroth put a hand to his forehead and propped his other elbow on the ground, sitting up halfway. "He came," he whispered. "He tried to lure me into the Darkness, but I…" His eyes snapped open, looking up at the two boys with real fear. "It's coming. We'll all be killed. Everyone will die."

"Hold up for a second," Sora said, patting his now-cooler shoulder. "What's coming?"

"Every single shred of the Darkness. It's almost at our door." Sephiroth pointed to the west. "It's coming."

"Don't listen to the Darkness inside you, Seph," Sora pleaded. "It will lie to you at every turn."

Sora looked at Riku, and the silver-haired boy stood slowly. "He's right, though. I can feel it." He glanced at his friend over his shoulder, his aqua eyes narrowed with worry. "And it's strong."

The brunette fisted his hands at his sides. "Like Xemnas strong?"

Riku shook his head, and Sora saw a faint tremor in his hands. "Much stronger," he whispered.

Sora looked to the west and cursed with such a passion, Sephiroth was sure he'd been taught by Cid.

* * *

Sephiroth rested his forehead against his fingers, listening to the chaotic proceedings going on at the long table in the brownstone's common room. Riku and Sora had just finished telling the crew what they knew, and shouts and curses reigned.

"How could it have found him so soon?" Yuffie wailed. "If the Darkness is as close as you say…"

"One day, maybe two and it'll be right on fucking top of us," Cid growled. He chewed his toothpick nosily. "Hell of a time to quit the smokes."

"We need to plan for the attack right now," Leon barked. "This battle is going to be huge."

"Excuse me," Sephiroth said quietly. Everyone stopped talking to look at him at the end of the table. The silver-haired man swallowed. It was much like the first day he'd come here, when they'd all argued about what to do with him.

"Yes?" Tifa prompted.

Except now, it seemed his vote counted.

"The solution is obvious," he said, glancing around the table. Cloud caught his gaze, his bright blue eyes steady and emotionless. "I shouldn't remain in Radiant Garden," Sephiroth continued, tearing his eyes away from the blonde. "To do so would only draw the Dark Forces here and the city would be destroyed."

"Where do you plan on going?" Vincent asked in a low rumble.

Sephiroth gestured helplessly. "I'm not sure. The forest? A desert? As far away as I can get."

"So should we all be getting ready for a road trip?" Sora asked, looking at Leon for confirmation.

"No!" Sephiroth cried out. Sora jumped, startled, and Sephiroth had to take a deep breath to get himself back under control. "No," he said more softly. "That would defeat the purpose of me leaving. I don't want any of you in harm's way."

Cloud finally spoke up, and everyone turned to stare at him. "We're already in harm's way whether we like it or not. What chance do you have of defeating this Darkness on your own?"

"Because the Darkness plans to either control you or kill you to obtain your Nobody," Riku added. He crossed his arms over his chest. "And that would be disastrous."

"Exactly." Merlin nodded from his perch on a tall stool on the other side of the table. "If you're overrun, Sephiroth, all hope is lost. It would be wise for us to protect you at all costs."

Sephiroth looked around the table to see everyone nodding in agreement. "But I can't ask you to risk your lives to save mine," Sephiroth protested.

"You're not asking," Cid grunted. "We're telling ya. The Darkness will have to go through us to get to you."

"But…" Sephiroth said weakly. He glanced at Aerith, who was seated at his side. The girl reached out to cover his hand with her own.

"That's what friends do," she said with a smile.

Sephiroth shook his head. "I don't deserve any of this," he said. "After everything I've done…"

"You'll do worse than that if we allow the Darkness to take you," Cloud said, resting his elbows on the table. Sephiroth couldn't hide the pain in his eyes, and he hoped the blonde knew it was an apology of sorts.

"Seph has a good point, though," Leon said. He pulled a folded map from his jacket pocket and spread it on the table. "If we wait for the Darkness to come to us, the forces will enter the city and reduce it to rubble."

"All of that hard work would have been for nothing," Yuffie moaned.

"However," the leader pointed to the western wall of the town, "we can anticipate the enemy will attack here. I say we meet them outside the wall. The plains there are almost empty, only a few farms scattered about. If we can hold them off, we can reduce damage within Radiant Garden."

"That sounds good," Sora murmured. He tapped a fingertip against the paper. "There're mountains on one side of the plains and a canyon on the other, so they'd be funneled right to us. Not a lot of room for them to scatter and get past us."

"Then it's settled?" Leon heard the entire group voice their agreement. "Okay. Yuffie, I want you to get a message to the farmers out on the plains. Tell them to bring their families inside the city walls. Cid, have Tron announce through the town's loudspeakers that there's going to be a dangerous attack tomorrow and everyone should stay inside. Everyone else, I'm going to need help amassing all the supplies we'll need. Weapons, potions, ether." He counted off on gloved fingers. "We'll need everything we can get our hands on. Other than that…" Leon looked up at the expectant faces of his friends. "This is a major battle. It might be the hardest one of our lives. I suggest you all take the time we have left and get your affairs in order. Do anything you need to get done." He glanced at Cloud sitting beside him. "Spend time with those you love," he said softly. Leon swept his grey eyes around the table. "Everybody clear? Then let's get going."

* * *

Sephiroth stumbled back home hours later, loaded down with items from the local shop. The little duck who ran the store had asked why he needed all those potions and Sephiroth hadn't known what to say. He'd mumbled something like, "Better safe than sorry." He added his armload to the growing pile of supplies on the common room floor. Throwing knives, ethers, mega-cocktails for health and magic and armor were all strewn about in a gigantic mountain. It would be a job in itself distributing all this stuff to the crew.

"Hey Seph?" Tifa's voice floated from the kitchen. "Is that you? Did you clear out the item shop?"

"I did," he answered with a puff of breath. "Are Sora and Riku back from the synthesizing shop?"

"Not yet." The young woman walked out of the kitchen and said, "A few of us are going up on the roof. Just having a little chat before tomorrow. Want to join us?"

Sephiroth shook his head, eyeing the pile at his feet. "I don't know. There's so much work to be done."

"Come on. This is just as important." Tifa tugged him by the arm and led him out the door. They climbed the rickety ladder to reach the house's roof. Sephiroth could already hear Cid's loud voice before they got to the top.

"And then the look on your face, Yuff!" He laughed heartily. "You woulda thought you'd seen a ghost, the way you looked when the airship first took off."

"I never liked flying on that old bucket of bolts!" the ninja huffed.

"Bucket of bolts?" Sephiroth peeked over the edge of the roof to see the mechanic snort indignantly. Along with Cid and Yuffie, Vincent was perched silently at the edge of the roof. "The Highwind was a stellar piece of equipment. Light years ahead of its time," Cid grumbled.

"It did have a tendency to shake, though," Tifa pointed out, taking a seat in the little informal circle. Sephiroth approached slowly, only to have Vincent sweep his cloak aside for him.

"Plenty of space, Sephiroth," he said. "You're just in time. I have a small presentation to make." With an exaggerated flourish, he reached into the recesses of his red cape and removed a small box. "For you, Highwind, with my deepest regards."

Cid's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Galbadian cigarettes? Where the hell did you find those?"

"Galbadia," Vincent answered dryly. He dropped the pack of cigarettes into Cid's lap.

"Val, I can't take these," the mechanic said mournfully, though he examined the package. "I just quit!"

The gunslinger shrugged. "Now would be a good time to start again."

Cid chuckled and tore the plastic from the box. "You've got a point, vampire. Anyone got a light?"

"Here." Vincent leaned forward, mumbled a quick Fire spell, and the tip of Cid's cigarette glowed brightly. He took a deep drag, sighing contentedly.

"Just one more won't kill me," Cid mumbled happily. "Thanks, Val."

"Hey," Yuffie spoke up, her voice a bit uncertain. "Do you think Leon was just getting us worked up earlier? Do you really think this battle is going to be that tough?"

"I don't know," Tifa said with a shake of her head. "I can't imagine what it'll be like if it is."

"I know," Yuffie groaned. "I mean, fighting you that first time, Seph, that was the worst fight I'd ever been in. You were a strong bastard."

"I remember very little of it," Sephiroth said. "But I remember you all fought bravely. I am honored to be on your side of the battle line this time."

"Hey, let's not get all mushy here," Cid grunted, blowing a blue cloud of smoke towards the sky. "Wait to feel honored when we're done kicking Dark ass."

"Oh, crap, remember that one time?" Yuffie launched into a story about a past battle that ended with Cid covered in green slime, and Sephiroth couldn't help but smile.

* * *

It was hours after sunset by the time Sephiroth came back into the house. The others were still up on the roof trading embarrassing stories and reminiscing and, though they'd welcomed Sephiroth warmly into the group, he felt tired after the day's events. He just wanted to grab some food and go to bed. He found Aerith in the kitchen. She was boiling something foul-smelling on the stovetop.

"Sorry about the stink," she apologized. "I'm brewing up some old-fashioned cures. We might need something stronger than potions tomorrow."

"Good thinking," Sephiroth said, grabbing a cold meat pie from the fridge and eating it over the sink. "You're not coming into battle with us, are you?"

"Of course." She smiled widely. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Aerith." He put the half-eaten meal down on the counter. "I don't want you getting hurt. You've done so much for me already."

She batted him on the shoulder. "Oh, stop. I may not be the strongest fighter in the crew, but you'll need a healer out there on the battlefield. It's not like I haven't done it before. Besides," she said, "I often wondered why the Light brought me back from the brink of death. Now I think maybe I'm supposed to protect you when it matters most." She tucked a stray lock of silver hair behind his ear affectionately. "So much depends on you, Seph. I can feel it."

"Aerith…" He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. How strange, he thought, that this young girl ended up being such a mother to him.

"I know," she whispered, hugging him back as if she could read his mind.

* * *

Sephiroth dragged himself to his bedroom, already stripping himself of his shirt. He had closed the door behind him and nearly reached to unbutton his pants when he saw he wasn't alone in the room.

"Cloud," he said, not bothering to hide the note of surprise in his voice. He hastily picked up his shirt from the floor, debating whether or not to slip it back on. "It's late. Shouldn't you be…?"

Cloud sat on the edge of Sephiroth's bed, the only place to sit in the room. He was wearing the red robe he'd given Leon wrapped tightly around his waist. "Leon's asleep right now," the blonde said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I wanted to talk to you before the battle begins tomorrow."

Sephiroth balled up his shirt and placed it on top of his dresser, then arranged some bottles of potion beside it. He hoped Cloud couldn't see his hands shaking. "What about?"

"I need to know that you're ready," Cloud murmured, watching the silver-haired man move about the little room. "Do you realize what you're about to face?"

Sephiroth sighed. He kept his back to the other man, still busying himself with the items on his dresser. "I understand the Darkness inside of me," he said softly. "It's been making itself known these past few days." Sephiroth swallowed, looking over his shoulder at the blonde. "Cloud, he came to me wearing your face and—"

Cloud nodded, silencing Sephiroth. "Did you take what he offered?"

"No," Sephiroth cried vehemently. "I couldn't."

The blonde swordsman stood, the long robe folding around his bare legs. He gave a bitter laugh and put his hands in the deep pockets. "You're a stronger man than I was," he said.

Sephiroth's brows furrowed in confusion for a moment before the horror dawned on him. He turned to face Cloud fully. "He…_I_ forced myself on you?"

Cloud shrugged, the rust-colored silk shifting on his shoulders. "There was not much to force. You were very powerful then; I was very lost. I was drawn to the Darkness, and you only gave me what I asked for." He glowing blue eyes glanced up through his blonde spikes. "The Dark Forces can only do so much up to a point. It will be the strength of your heart that determines the outcome of this battle. I'll ask you again: are you ready?"

"I promise you," Sephiroth whispered, "I will not fail you."

Cloud let his gaze travel along the floorboards, and then removed his hand from his robe's pocket. He placed a piece of paper blank side up on Sephiroth's bed.

"That's for you," he said. "Get some rest."

Cloud left the room, the door creaking shut behind him. Sephiroth frowned and picked up the piece of paper, turning it over with a gasp. It was a yellowed photograph, taken the day before the disaster at Nibelheim, when Sephiroth turned to the Darkness. A younger Tifa stood in the center, waving at the camera. Sephiroth saw himself, his old self, standing at her side with a faint grimace on his face. He remembered he used to hate getting his picture taken. And there on Tifa's right, with that wild dark hair and smug grin was…

"Zack," Sephiroth whispered to himself, gently touching the old picture with his fingertips. Cloud was giving this to him?

Sephiroth reopened his door quickly, scanning the hallway. Cloud was nearly to the room he shared with Leon. His hand was on the doorknob, his eyebrow raised at Sephiroth's appearance.

"Cloud, I can't take this," he said, holding the photograph reverently in his hands. "This must be the only picture you have of Zack."

Cloud let his hand fall from the doorknob with a sigh. "It is," he said. "But I want you to have it. For now."

Sephiroth studied the picture again, shaking his head. "When you came to me, back then," he asked, "how did you manage to return to the Light?"

Cloud closed the small distance between them, speaking quietly in the empty, dark hallway. "I clawed my way out of that dark pit, not by the strength of my heart," he said, "but because you let me go." He gave the silver-haired man a wry smile. "I always thought you were playing with me like a cat would a mouse. But maybe this part of you," he flicked the ends of Sephiroth's silver hair that brushed his jaw, "had something to do with it."

"I can't say for sure what my motives were back then," Sephiroth said, letting his eyes slide shut at Cloud's simple touch, "but my heart is…Cloud, surely you must know how I—"

Cloud tilted Sephiroth's head down just a few inches, holding his gaze. He brushed his lips against the other man's, chaste, brief, warm.

"I'm sorry," Cloud murmured. "If things were different…"

"Maybe," Sephiroth whispered, "in some other lifetime." He pulled away slowly, his hand still clutching the precious gift from Cloud. "You should get some sleep," he said needlessly.

Cloud turned back to his door once again.

"And Cloud?" Sephiroth said suddenly. The blonde paused. "Thank you."

He gave Sephiroth a small grin, a little wave of his hand, and disappeared into his bedroom.

Sephiroth let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and looked up at the ceiling. This felt like the longest day of his life.

A muffled grunt coming from the common room caught his ear and Sephiroth crept over to the entrance and peered into the dark room. His eyes could make out two boys on the couch, squirming in the gloom.

"You're too tall," Sora groaned, pushing Riku's feet away from his face. "We're not going to fit this way."

"Well, what do you suggest? Are you any better at geometry?" The silver-haired boy smacked his head back on the armrest. They were both dressed in their sleeping clothes, wedged uncomfortably on the couch. "I'm tired. I may as well sleep on the floor or something." He moved to roll off the sofa, but Sora stopped him.

"Here, let's try this." The brunette wiggled his way up the cushions and collapsed against Riku's chest. He twined his legs with the taller boy's and rested his ear above his heart. "Is this okay?" he asked in careful voice. "I'm not too heavy, am I?"

Sephiroth watched as Riku sighed and placed a hand on top of Sora's spiky hair. "No," he said softly. "You're fine."

"Okay." Sora pressed his lips to Riku's neck. "Goodnight."

Riku stayed silent as Sora's breathing evened out in the still night air. Then he dropped a kiss in on the brown head tucked under his chin. "'Night," he whispered to the sleeping boy. "Love you."

Sephiroth allowed himself a smile as he turned from the common room. He would need sleep, too, for tomorrow.


	14. Being

Author's Note: In advance, sorry. Sorry sorry sorry. I promise there's one more chapter after this. Hope you like it.

Suggested listening: 30 Seconds to Mars. "Attack"

Suggested beverage: dry mouth

* * *

The usual morning gathering at the breakfast table was fraught with tension. Sephiroth ate his scrambled eggs in silence, not really tasting anything. He glanced at his companions, but their heads were bowed over their food in quiet contemplation. Even Sora was chewing mechanically and staring off into space.

"Don't get _too_ excited, people," Leon mumbled sarcastically, draining his coffee cup.

"Sorry," Yuffie squeaked. "Just feels like we're, you know….?"

"Marching to our doom?" Vincent supplied.

"That's the phrase I was searching for." The ninja nodded emphatically. "I mean, there aren't even a dozen of us against the world!"

"So what?" Cid grumbled, pushing his fried potatoes around his plate. "We've gone up against odds like that before."

"Really?" Sora asked, his fork frozen in his hand.

Everyone fastened their eyes on Cid as the mechanic's face turned red. "Okay," he conceded, "I guess not." He added as an afterthought, "Fuck."

The doorbell chimed, and Sephiroth rose with a sigh. "Maybe that's the Darkness," he laughed dryly. "Who knew they would come so early?"

"Don't even joke," Riku muttered. He sighed and let his fork clatter to his plate, apparently giving up on eating.

Sephiroth shrugged and opened the door, blinking in the bright morning sun. A small crowd seemed to be gathered outside the front door: the town butcher, Mrs. Wedge the seamstress, Scrooge and his duckling nephews, and a few other townspeople Sephiroth didn't recognize. They all held small daggers, staffs, or short swords.

"May I…help you?" he asked uncertainly, shifting his weight to his other foot.

"We know there's going to be a battle," Scrooge squawked, stomping his webbed feet and waving his dagger. "We dannae want to sit idly in our cozy houses. We're here to help!"

"Uh…" Sephiroth turned and shouted, "Leon! I think you should come here."

The crew leader appeared beside him in the doorway, looking over the ragtag group of villagers. "You all want to fight?" he asked incredulously.

"Absolutely," the seamstress nodded. "We heard they're coming for Zack, and we owe him for what he did with those wretched thieves."

Leon raised an eyebrow at Sephiroth. "Zack?"

"I, um," Sephiroth shifted uncomfortably and faced the crowd again. "I apologize to you all. I didn't mean to deceive anyone, but my name isn't Zack. I'm really—"

"Oh shush," Mrs. Wedge said, waving her hand to silence him. "We're not stupid. We know what you _were_ but we also know what you _are_." She turned to Leon's general direction. "Now, Mr. Leon, are you going to let us help or not?"

Sephiroth watched Leon give them one last scrutinizing glance. "Here are your orders," he said, hands on his belted hips. "My team will try their best to hold back the enemy at the western wall, but some may slip by. You will stay behind the wall. You will be responsible for dispatching any Heartless that make it over the wall. You cannot allow any monsters, no matter how small, to run rampant in the city. Is that clear?"

A high, cheerful voice called out from the back of the crowd, "Gee, fella, that sounds just great!"

Leon frowned, craning his neck to try and see. "Who's that?" he asked gruffly.

The townspeople parted to let the tiny speaker come forward. Two round black ears appeared first, then the rest of the short mouse. "Hiya," he said with a wave.

"Your majesty!" Sora called, pushing past Leon and Sephiroth to embrace the mouse. Riku was close on his heels, laughing more heartily than Sephiroth had ever imagined the stoic boy could.

"King Mickey, what are you doing here?" Riku asked, going down on one knee so he could be eye to eye with his liege.

Sephiroth watched in fascination as the small crowd began murmuring, then knelt as well before the short newcomer. He was about to turn to Leon to ask what all the fuss was about, but the other man was also down on one knee.

"He's the king," Leon whispered, tugging on Sephiroth's shirt to force him down as well. "Show some respect."

"Gosh, everyone, that's really not necessary," Mickey laughed, motioning with one gloved hand for everyone to rise. Sephiroth did so, bewildered. "I'm just here to lend a hand, too," he continued, speaking to Riku but raising his voice for everyone to hear. "And I've brought some friends."

Another duck and a sort of walking-upright dog pushed through the crowd then, and Sora rushed forward to embrace them. "Donald! Goofy! You all came."

"Of course we did!" the duck squawked.

"Gawrsh, we just heard ya might need the help," the one called Goofy said with a smile.

Sephiroth watched the reunion unfold; apparently, most of the townspeople knew of these warriors. He was glad to have more people on his side. It gave him hope.

"You're going to need all the help you can get," the King in a suddenly grave tone, his eyes fastened to Sephiroth. The silver-haired man gave him a grateful nod.

"Hate to cut this short," Leon said with a sigh, watching the old friends exchange hugs, "but it's time to go into battle."

* * *

Sephiroth stood on the wind-swept plain outside the western wall, gripping his katana like it was his lifeline. Besides the occasional breeze, there was no movement; the horizon stood far off, a thin line cutting the red dirt from the blue sky.

"The calm before the storm," Vincent commented. At his other side, Aerith nodded in agreement.

Leon had placed them behind the first battle line. It gave Sephiroth a defensive position and Aerith could heal just as well from there. Vincent's revolvers would also prove more useful at a greater distance. Ahead of them, the rest of the crew as well as the King and his guardians were preparing for the first wave. Leon stalked about, giving a quiet reminder or word of advice to them every so often. Cloud ran a hand down Leon's arm as he walked by, but otherwise the two men were engrossed in checking their equipment. Sephiroth saw Sora twist around and give him a thumbs-up. He waved back with a less than sure feeling in the pit of his stomach.

The ground under his boots began to tremor faintly. Sephiroth squinted at the horizon: a crest of blackness marring the red and blue.

"They're here," Aerith whispered, putting a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder.

"Everyone, brace yourselves!" Leon shouted above the growing roar of the Dark Forces marching towards them.

Sephiroth raised his katana. This was it: the fight for his heart.

The first group of Heartless came like a train barreling towards the city. They slammed against the crew, perishing on Keyblades and Buster sword alike. A few small Heartless made it past Vincent's barrage of bullets, and Sephiroth dispatched them easily.

"Keep your guard up," Aerith warned as she cast another round of protection spells on the crew. "They'll get more powerful."

The Heartless seemed to retreat, but, like a wave retreats from the shore, they returned with even more force. Larger and more powerful monsters joined the fray, and soon the entire plain was crawling with black bodies. It was all Sephiroth could do to swipe blindly into the festering crowd and kill as many as he could reach.

"They won't stop coming!" Sephiroth shouted to Vincent.

"Just keep attacking!" the caped man called back, reloading his guns with practiced speed. "Don't let up!"

Sephiroth raised his eyes to check the progress of his allies, and his sword nearly fell from his numb fingers. "Cloud!" he screamed. A black portal was growing underneath the blonde's feet, tendrils of Darkness snaking up his legs. Cloud stabbed his sword into the blackness beneath him, but that only caused more Dark vines to shoot up. One wrapped tightly around his neck, causing him to drop his weapon to claw at the strangling Heartless with his gloved hands.

Sephiroth rushed forward, heedless of Vincent's cry of warning.

"Seph, wait!" Aerith was right behind him, glowing white light appearing in her hands. She slammed the Holy spells into the advancing Heartless, clearing a path for Sephiroth.

He was only a few feet from the blonde when a searing pain ripped through his head. Sephiroth cried out and fell to the ground, dropping his sword. Aerith's protective magic was the only thing keeping the Heartless at bay.

_Would you do it to save him?_ The Dark voice hissed in his mind. _If you don't give in to me, they'll tear his sweet head off his shoulders before your very eyes. _

"Stop it!" Sephiroth screamed. "Leave him alone!"

_You'll never stop giving orders, will you? So what will it be?_

"Don't listen to the Darkness, Seph," Aerith said, her voice quiet and calm at his side, a stark contrast to the chaos around them. "Don't let them take you."

Sephiroth looked up to see Cloud completely restrained in the Dark mass, his hands and feet lashed together, the black tendrils creeping up his face. Leon gave a roar and lunged forward to aid his lover, but two large Dark soldiers grabbed his arms and held him back. He knocked one of them away, but five more soldiers were there in its place, keeping him pinned.

"Cloud!" the leader screamed, his Gunblade clattering to the ground. "Damn it, somebody help him!"

_Time's running out for your friends. _

Through dull green eyes, Sephiroth watched as, one by one, his allies were overcome by the Dark Forces. Sora and Riku were boxed in a thick group of bloodthirsty Heartless. Cid, Yuffie and Tifa were buried under the swirling black bodies. Even the King and his two companions were indisposed, dealing with a fire-breathing Dark beast off in the distance.

_All you have to do is give your heart to me,_ the General purred, _and their suffering will end._

"Cloud…" Sephiroth let his eyes slide shut. "What can I do?"

"Let your conscience be your guide, Seph," a familiar voice whispered into Sephiroth's ear.

Green eyes flew open, taking in the form of the young man standing on the battlefield. Heartless attacked, but flew through him as if he was made of air.

"Zack? What are you doing here?"

"You see him too?" Aerith cried, casting another spell while staring open-mouthed at the vision before them.

"You were always a smart guy, Seph. You can figure this out, I know you can," Zack said, shimmering in and out of view like a computer screen on the fritz.

"I can't let Cloud die," Sephiroth said, glancing over at the blonde. He was fighting for air, and every second brought him more pain.

Time seemed to slow, and Zack leaned forward to whisper, "He won't die. But you need to use the power within your heart to save him."

"Are you just another trick?" Sephiroth let his head fall forward in despair. "You know I can't use that horrible power. The Darkness lurks there."

"Like I said," Zack laughed, "you're a smart guy. You can do it, Seph. I know it."

He gave a small smile before disappearing in the wind. Time seemed to return to normal, and Sephiroth could feel the heat of the battle like a hot breath on the back of his neck. And suddenly, he knew what had to be done.

He got to his feet, not bothering to pick up his katana. A small dark portal appeared in the air in front of him, and Sephiroth reached a gloved hand inside, hissing at the biting cold.

"Seph, what are you doing?" Aerith cried, her eyes going wide. Sephiroth didn't answer; he concentrated on pulling the Masamune from its place in the Dark World.

He sliced the long blade through the air, killing a band of Heartless blocking Cloud from Sephiroth. With a growl, the silver-haired man raised his hand, bolts of lightning forming at his fingertips.

"Let him go!" he ordered. He struck at the Dark tendrils with a powerful magic that made it whither away like a dying plant. Cloud fell to his knees, gasping for breath, before looking up at his rescuer. Sephiroth had no pupils or whites left in his eyes, just a field of glowing green.

"Sephiroth," Cloud said, fear creeping into his face, "what have you done?"

The tall swordsman bent to retrieve Cloud's Buster sword, handing it to him reverently. "Please believe me," he said. "I won't fail you."

"Seph, no!" Aerith screamed, clutching her hands against her chest. "Please don't do this!"

Sephiroth stood, carrying Masamune at his side.

"Don't be afraid," he told her, smiling faintly. Then his alien eyes flared bright and he fell to his knees. He screamed in pain, his back arching at an impossible angle. The Heartless troops seemed to sense their impending victory and stopped their attacks to give a chattering cry. The rest of the crew could only watch Sephiroth twist and bend, rising into the air by some unseen hand.

Then there was a flash of light and a white wing unfurled from Sephiroth's left shoulder. Pure feathers floated down onto the battlefield, and Sephiroth rose higher in the sky, Masamune in his left hand.

"What's happening?" Leon whispered, hanging in the arms of the frozen soldiers. No one answered, just kept their gazes on the man floating in the air.

Sephiroth opened his bright green eyes, power crackling in the air around him. He lifted his right hand and a white light began to form around him.

"Everyone get down!" Sora screamed, dragging Riku to the dirt with him. "I think I've seen this spell before!"

The silver-haired man spoke in a rumbling voice: "**Ascend, heavenly angels**."

Yellow halos appeared above the heads of the Heartless, and a blinding light encompassed the battlefield. The wind howled, tearing at everyone's hair and clothes. Dust assaulted their eyes, rising in columns in the unnatural wind. There was a blood-curdling screech as millions of Dark Ones evaporated into thin air. And then, with a sonic boom that ripped through the plains, it was all over.

Aerith and Cloud chanced a look around the suddenly-quiet plains. Sora and Riku lifted their faces from the ground, looking up at the angelic Sephiroth still suspended in the air. His eyes closed and his long white wing flapped once, twice, and then he tumbled to the ground below.

"What the hell was just happened?" Cid barked, spinning around to try and see where the Dark Forces had gone.

"He used his powers," Cloud said, looking at the unconscious man lying in the dirt, white wing stretched out beside him. "But that spell was different from what I've seen before."

"Is anyone hurt?" Leon called out. "Everyone accounted for?"

His questions were answered when everyone gathered in a small ring around the fallen man. Aerith bent down to try and awaken him.

"I was kinda hopin' somethin' like this would happen," King Mickey said. "He's become an angel of the Light now, one of the most powerful beings in the kingdom. His heart's safe."

"So we won?" Tifa gasped. "We beat back all the Darkness?"

"Well, _he_ did," Leon said, nodding at Sephiroth. "For now."

A ragged cheer went up then, everyone crying in relief. The battle was over. The Darkness couldn't win.

"You guys?" Aerith said softly. The crew stopped their impromptu celebration, looking down at the girl kneeling beside the one-winged angel. Her face tilted up, large tears running down her cheeks. "His heart's stopped beating," she said.


	15. Leaving

Author's Note: Wow, it's finally done. Thank you to everyone who left reviews. It's the icing on the cake to hear how much you enjoyed this. Without further delay, here it is, the final chapter.

Suggested listening: The Secret Machines. "You are Chains"

Suggested beverage: hot tea

* * *

"Nice to see you again, Seph." A wry grin. A simple toss of the head. A strand of dark hair grazing lips.

Standing breathless in a white room.

"Zack, am I dead?" Bare hands, bare arms, bare feet. No more armor touching skin. Shirt gone to make room for the wing. Shed.

A soft snort. "You always gotta be so special."

"My heart—" A palm against his chest. No sound, no movement. Nothing. "It's gone?" Silver hair sliding over eyes, head hanging. "I've lost it, then."

_One, two, three, four…_

"Hey, no, nothing like that." Hands on shoulders, propping him up. "It's not lost. Just a little broken."

_...seven, eight, nine, ten…_

A slip of eyelids. Glowing green. "How do I fix it?"

"They're working on it." Sharp white teeth flash. Honest. "Let them do their part."

_Breathe, damn it!_

A pair of warm arms. Pressing close in the stillness. No sound, no air.

"Thank you, Zack."

"No problem." Loosening grip. "That's what friends do."

…_eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen…_

A whisper: "It's time to open your eyes, Angel."

_Wake up!_

* * *

Leon gave a cry of frustration, continuing to press down on Sephiroth's chest. "Again: One, two, three—" He heard a rib crack under the pressure. "Damn!"

"Wait a moment," Cloud murmured, and Leon felt the bone reform under his fingertips.

"His healing factor's working again," the crew leader muttered, wiping his sweat-soaked bangs out of his face. "So why the hell won't he breathe?"

Cloud shook his head. "I don't know. Do it again." He tipped the silver-haired man's head back and pried his lips apart.

Leon straightened his arms and laced his fingers, pumping his hands over Sephiroth's heart again for fifteen beats. Cloud pinched the unconscious man's nose and covered his mouth with his own, forcing air into his lungs. Everyone stood over them and watched the proceedings helplessly. "Breathe, damn it!" Leon shouted at the motionless body on the ground.

"I don't understand," Aerith whispered. "Why won't my magic work?"

"He's beyond that now," King Mickey said softly, his hands still clasped around his Keyblade. "His body has changed, just like his heart."

"Wake up!" Cloud cried, pouring another breath of air into his mouth.

Sephiroth gasped, his heart constricting as it found its new beat. A burning sensation ran through his body with the air he dragged into his lungs. His all-green eyes opened, glowing smoothly beneath his thick lashes.

"No need to yell," he croaked. He put a hand to his head and his wing twitched slightly against Cloud's leg. "I'm right here."

* * *

Sephiroth sat on the edge of the table in the common room, running his hand over the silky white feathers that covered his wing. His eyes were still an unearthly solid green; he glanced at his reflection in the window with a frown.

"I don't understand," he said to the little mouse by his side. The others had gone to check on the town to be certain no Heartless had escaped them. Sephiroth was almost glad. He had so many questions for this pint-sized ruler, and though it was nice to have the others worry, if one more person grabbed him to make sure he was still alive, Sephiroth thought he'd go mad. He touched the white feathers again, rubbing them between his fingertips. "I'm not a human anymore?"

"Nope," the King said, swinging his feet. "Being human at all was just a short hiccup for ya, anyway. Now you're what you're meant to be: a creature of the Light."

Green pupil-less eyes slid to the Masamune leaning against the wall. Untold power. Incredible magic. A fierce heart. Colors looked brighter; the air tasted like it was charged with energy; there was no pain, no aching muscles from the battle.

No longer human.

"A creature of the Light?" Sephiroth shook his head, silver hair swinging. "But in the past, I was always allied with the Darkness."

King Mickey shrugged. "But before that, I hear ya weren't such a bad guy. Maybe a little lacking in the friend department, but ya got that covered now, right?"

The silver-haired man flexed his wing again, pondering its movement with a careful eye. "So what happens to me now?" he asked.

The mouse spread his gloved hands in a helpless gesture. "I was thinkin' you might come back to the castle with me. I have a need for a Guardian," he said, "if you're so inclined."

Sephiroth gave him a wry smile. "Me? Guarding the Light?"

"Sure!" Mickey said cheerfully. "Besides, Sora and Riku are gonna need a protector soon."

"Why?" Sephiroth's heart tripped at the thought of the boys in danger.

"Well, they're getting' older, you know." The mouse scratched behind one of his round ears. "And the older they get, the heavier their hearts might grow. We can't be lettin' the hearts of Keyblade Bearers weaken, can we?"

"You mean they might lose their strength?" Sephiroth asked.

Mickey nodded, tracing patterns on the tabletop with his fingertips. "In their home world, grown-ups have a tendency to forget their childhood adventures. They stop believin' in magic and all sorts of important things." He shivered dramatically. "Sora and Riku might grow up and lose all memory of us. If no one's around to protect them, that is."

Sephiroth chuckled. "I suppose I couldn't let that happen." He held his hand out to shake the King's. "I accept your offer. I will protect the Keyblade Bearers' hearts and the hearts of all your kingdom's citizens."

Mickey gave a high-pitched laugh. "That's great, fella. And your first lesson for the Bearers," he said with a raised eyebrow towards the front door, "should be about how rude eavesdroppin' can be."

The front door creaked open and the two boys' faces popped into view.

"Sorry," Riku said with a sheepish grin. "But we couldn't help it."

"Is Seph coming back to the islands with us?" Sora blurted out. "That's so cool!"

The King shook his head. "Sephiroth will reside at the castle; he can't very well go gallivantin' around Destiny Islands with one wing stickin' out of his back." Mickey smirked as Sora's shoulders drooped. "But," he continued, "you'll be able to contact him at any time. I promise."

"And could we maybe visit once in awhile?" Sora pleaded.

Mickey smiled and gave a nod.

"Would we really forget about everything? All the other worlds? Even you, Mickey?" Riku asked with a concerned frown.

"You won't," Sephiroth said firmly. "I'll make sure you won't."

Sora grinned and tossed his spiky bangs from his face. "You'll be the best Guardian ever, Seph. I know it."

The boy rushed forward to wrap his skinny arms around Sephiroth's waist. The silver-haired man froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, but his heart told him to return the embrace. So he did, enfolding Sora in his arms and wrapping his white wing around the boy by instinct.

Maybe, he thought, being an angel wouldn't be so hard.

* * *

"…and we can come visit you at the castle around Christmas time! And I'll bring you some of my mom's cooking; it's so good. She makes these biscuits with this cheese thing. And hey, maybe if the King says it's okay, Kairi can come with us and you can meet her!" Sora's rush of words came to a grinding halt when the frown appeared on Riku's face. "What? Don't you think she'd want to?" Sora asked with wide eyes.

"I don't know," Riku mumbled. "Maybe."

Sephiroth sighed, licking his sea salt ice cream. The three of them were sitting up on the roof watching the sunset. The ice cream had been Sora's idea, of course. To celebrate Sephiroth's victory, he had said. So here Sephiroth sat, a boy hero on either side, swinging their booted feet over the roof's brickwork and watching the sky turn orange.

Sora leaned over Sephiroth to scowl at his friend. "Of course Kairi would want to meet Seph. Why wouldn't she?"

Riku shrugged, turning his sea salt so it wouldn't drip blue onto his hand. "I didn't say that. I just said she might—"

"Children, please," Sephiroth muttered, rubbing his temple with his free hand. "You'll ruin the sunset."

"Sorry," the boys chorused, returning to their ice cream with grumbles. After only a few blissful minutes of silence, Riku said in his soft voice, "We'll bring her along next time. I know how much you must miss her."

"Well, she probably misses us more," Sora said, scratching his head. "The time goes faster for her, so it feels like we're gone longer."

"What do you mean, _us_?" Riku said with a glare. "It's _you_ she worries about; you know that."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes, letting the two boys' words fly past him.

"That's not true," Sora growled, leaning over Sephiroth's lap to get a good look at Riku. "She cares about you, too. Why do you always get so mad when—?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Riku said, pointedly looking at the sunset and not at the brunette boy. "Just leave it alone."

Sora huffed in frustration and raked one hand through his unruly hair, grasping his melting ice cream with the other. "Look, Riku, I know you like Kairi. I don't care, so don't—"

"_I_ like Kairi?" Riku exploded, his popsicle stick falling to the roof from his numb fingers. "_I_ like her?"

"Why else would you side with the Darkness? You wanted to be the one to save her," Sora shouted, pointing an accusing finger in the other boy's face.

"You think I…?" Riku gave a gravelly laugh. "You're such a—"

"Oh, for the love of…" Sephiroth finally broke his silence, grabbing both boys by the scruff of the neck. "Would you both stop arguing for two seconds and just say what you really mean?"

Sora and Riku were jolted by an electrical burst from Sephiroth's hands, but the feeling wasn't painful. In fact, it was a bit calming. Their hearts traded emotions for a brief moment before Sephiroth pulled his hands away from them. Sora felt an aching despair in the pit of his stomach, the hopeless feeling of being in love without being loved back. And Riku's heart was twisted with the confusion of being pushed away, of never being able to touch the one he loved like he wanted.

They gasped, clutching their hands over their chests as if to hide the sudden wave of emotions buried there. Then their eyes widened when they realized they were feeling someone else's heart. And then, to realize who that heart belonged to…

Riku whispered, "We love each other." His deep green eyes glanced up at Sephiroth, their Guardian, the conduit of their hearts. "Don't we?"

"You're the last ones to figure it out," Sephiroth snorted.

Sora seemed to snap out of his daze and scrambled across Sephiroth to get to Riku. Both silver-haired men grabbed at him with surprised shouts since he was so close to the edge of the roof, but Sora wiggled out of their grasp. He pressed close against Riku, his arms wrapped around the other boy's neck so he could say in his ear, "I'm sorry. I didn't know. You're always getting mad with me, I didn't think…"

"I turned to the Darkness for you," Riku whispered back, clutching at Sora's shoulders as if he was going to fade away. "It was stupid, but I wanted to get Kairi back because I knew, I thought it would make you happy." He struggled to hold back the tears in his eyes, but one spilled down his pale cheek and onto Sora's jacket sleeve. "I just wanted you to be happy, Sora."

"I am happy," the Keyblade wielder said, smiling into Riku's neck.

Sephiroth ate the last bit of blue ice cream from his stick and looked up at the sky. The sunset really was stunning.

* * *

He left the rooftop soon afterward. He'd seen a lot of things today, but Sora and Riku's first kiss would not be one of them. Sephiroth allowed himself a small grin at the thought; those two were going to be interesting charges for him to look after. He let himself into the house, dim in the dying light.

He heard a sniff, as if someone was trying not to cry, and his heart knew it was Cloud. Sephiroth stepped into the kitchen and saw Cloud and Leon in the kitchen. The crew leader was holding Cloud, one arm around his waist, one draped over his shoulder. Cloud had his arms wrapped around his lover's neck, letting him bury his face in the crook of the blonde's shoulder.

Sephiroth swallowed; they both looked to be holding back tears. Adding the incident to the growing list of times he'd walked in on the couple, Sephiroth turned to leave in silence, but his wing (which he was still trying to get under control) chose that moment to strike out and overturn a cup on the counter. At the clattering noise, the two swordsmen looked up at him: a pair of glowing blue eyes next to stormy grey.

"Sorry," Sephiroth said quietly, moving to leave again.

"Wait," Leon called to him. The silver-haired man paused, turning back to face him. The brunette disentangled himself from Cloud's embrace. "I want to thank you, Seph," he said. "You saved Cloud's life today."

"You saved us all," Cloud added. "We were outnumbered; we would've never survived if you hadn't…"

"Why are you two so sad, then?" Sephiroth asked, blinking his otherworldly eyes, bright in the dark room.

"It's a relieved kind of crying, I swear," Leon said, swiping at his face with his gloved hand. He slung an arm around Cloud's shoulder and motioned for Sephiroth to fill the space between them. "A few years ago, I would never have even cried when I was alone. But now, it feels right to do it with people you trust."

Sephiroth raised his hands in protest. "No, that's fine. I don't need to…"

"Seph," Cloud sighed. "Please."

Were any other words so powerful? The one-winged angel dropped his gaze, stepping forward into the circle of their arms. He allowed them to pull him close, a sort of huddle. He expected it to be awkward, and though his heart beat faster, it didn't burst as he feared. Since Sephiroth was the tallest of the three, Leon tucked his brown head under his pointed chin. Cloud nestled against his broad chest. Sephiroth got the impression of a spiral, like a glowing light fell from his silver hair down through Leon and spilled to Cloud.

He cried.

"I'm sorry," Leon whispered. "I know you love him."

Cloud's gloved hand tightened on his shoulder.

"The pain has gone away," Sephiroth said, watching a tear fall from his chin into Cloud's hair. "My heart has changed. Now it feels love for everything, it seems. Everyone in the kingdom, I can feel in my heart." He bowed his forehead against the tops of their heads. "I do love Cloud. But I also love you, Leon, and everyone else in the universe. This angel's heart can do nothing else."

"That's good," Cloud said, the relief evident in his voice. "That's wonderful."

Sephiroth's heart clenched; it was just a little, insignificant lie. It was true that his heart felt love for everyone now, but it wasn't uniform. There was still a bright spark in the corner of his heart that was reserved for Cloud. And nothing would ever replace it.

Sephiroth kept silent. He let the two men hold him.

* * *

Aerith sat on his bed and watched him pack his clothes. The shirts were going in a separate pile; with his wing, Sephiroth wouldn't be wearing them.

"They might be a little on the large side," he said, handing them to Aerith. "But maybe Cid or someone would like them."

"You won't be cold?" Aerith asked anxiously, eyeing his bare chest.

Sephiroth smiled. "No, Mother," he said, "I feel perfectly fine. I think my healing factor protects me from the elements."

"I don't see why you have to leave so soon," the girl said with a sad frown. "You've only been an angel for a day. Do they really need you at the castle now?"

"I have much to learn before I can be a Guardian," Sephiroth said, folding a pair of dark blue pants. "The King's mages also need to teach me to control my powers."

Aerith gave a sob, and Sephiroth put the clothing down on the dresser. "What's wrong?" he asked, sitting beside her with a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll miss you, stupid," she cried, hugging him with a fierce grip. "Promise me you'll visit?"

"Of course," he murmured, rocking her gently. "I'll come any chance I get."

There was a light knock on the doorframe. They looked up to see King Mickey standing there with Goofy and Donald, wearing sad smiles.

"I'm sorry, guys," the mouse said, "but the portal's gonna open soon, and unless we want to take a long flight home on a gummi ship, we need to get goin'."

Sephiroth sighed, stuffing the last few items into his borrowed rucksack. The last thing he took was the photograph that Cloud had given him; that was carefully placed between the pages of a thick book to keep it from bending. Before closing it, he took one more look at Zack's smiling face.

"I'm ready," Sephiroth said, snapping the book shut.

* * *

"Goodbye, goodbye," Sephiroth called, trying desperately to hug all the people who had come to the market square before the portal opened. All the townspeople who had prepared for battle yesterday came to see him off, as well as the entire crew. Yuffie and Tifa especially required big hugs.

"Don't forget to write," Yuffie said with a smile.

"And send pictures! I want to know what the castle looks like," Tifa said.

Cid and Vincent accepted stoic handshakes.

"If this whole Guardian business falls through," Cid said, "you always got a place here as an engineer, got it?"

"But if you're forced to work for this man," Vincent said with a raised eyebrow, "you can always turn mercenary like me."

"Understood," Sephiroth said with a grin. He stumbled forward a few steps as the force of two teenagers slammed into him from behind.

"We'll see you soon!" Sora promised, his arms wrapped around the man's waist.

"Thanks for everything," Riku said.

"Move it, boys," Aerith laughed, prying them from the silver-haired man. "I'm next in line." She gave him a hard embrace, squeezing her eyes shut. "Be safe," she said.

"I will," he said softly, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "You'll be in my thoughts everyday."

"Same here," she whispered, stepping back and wiping a lone tear from her face. "Not get out of here before I break down again."

Behind him, the portal was opening in the middle of the square. The King and his companions called Sephiroth over. He nodded, and gave the crowd one last glance. Cloud and Leon were on the edges, leaning against a low wall. Leon gave a smirk and jutted his chin towards the portal in a 'get going' gesture. Cloud raised his hand in a half-salute. Sephiroth saluted back before turning to the wide open portal.

"All set?" the King asked.

"Yes, everything is set," Sephiroth whispered, smiling to himself. He stepped through the doorway to the next world.


End file.
